WHEN six-year-old Jasmine Street got appendicitis last year, her parents took her to Oxford Children’s Hospital for what they thought would be a routine procedure.

But during surgery there were complications — and the operation took three hours to complete.

Following the operation last April, Jasmine stayed at the hospital on the John Radcliffe site in Headington for 10 days, with her parents Elizabeth and Stan taking turns to stay with her.

The youngster went on to make a full recovery and no longer needs any treatment.

Now Mrs Street, 38, a nurse at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, is taking part in this year’s OX5 Run to help raise money for new equipment at the hospital.

The five-mile race is taking place on Sunday, April 19, around the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, and organisers are hoping more than 1,000 people will take part to raise an estimated £50,000.

Mrs Street, of Welford Gardens, Abingdon, said: “Jasmine went to the children’s hospital with appendicitis and surgeons found that she had a perforated appendix, so her abdomen was infected.

“We thought she was going in for a simple operation, but when the complications were discovered it took a lot longer than we expected. The doctors were fantastic and the surgeon was brilliant — he seemed to be around for 48 hours without stopping.

“After the operation, the play specialists were so good at taking Jasmine’s mind off the injections she needed, and we are so grateful to all the staff because the outcome could have been very different without their help.”

Mrs Street was able to stay overnight with Jasmine, while her husband looked after younger daughter Natalie, three.

She said: “I took part in the OX5 Run two years ago, but this time round I won’t be so worried about the running — it’s more important to me to raise as much money as possible for the children’s hospital.”

Sarah Vaccari, a spokesman for Oxford Children’s Hospital, who is also taking part in the race, said: “We’re delighted that Mrs Street is running again this year and we really appreciate her continued support of the children’s hospital.

“We hope Jasmine’s story will inspire others to dust off their running shoes and be ready for the race on April 19.”

This year’s run is being sponsored by Allen Associates and Motorworld.

Entry for the run is £10 per person, with each runner asked to raise at least £100 in sponsorship.