Charlie's story

In 2016, broadcaster Charlie Webster took on the epic challenge of cycling 3000 miles from London to Rio for charity. She successfully completed the challenge, but immediately fell ill ahead of presenting at the Olympic Games. Charlie was given 24 hours to live with multiple organ failure and put on life support in a coma with malaria. It was a miracle that she survived. She then had to relearn how to walk again, work through brain haemorrhaging, mental trauma and battle for her kidneys to work independently.

Charlie has used this lifechanging experience for extraordinary good, inspiring public and political  action and awareness about malaria locally and globally. Charlie has run marathons to fundraise for us, she fronts our campaigns including with David Beckham, hosts special events and continues to use her story to inspire action to end malaria for good.

In 2018, we visited UK funded malaria projects in Uganda, with The Sun. During the trip, Charlie met Edith and Mazima who tragically lost their daughter Asha to malaria because she had not had the right access to treatment.

Charlie also saw the positive, powerful impact of international aid in the community. She joined Pharaoh, a highly talented local health worker who is the front-line support for healthcare in his village. Pharaoh has been trained to test and treat children in these communities through international aid as often a hospital is too far away. 

Malaria takes the life of so many and affects so many more, a child dies from malaria every two minutes. Charlie is determined to see a world where these parents can raise happy and healthy children.

Watch Charlie share her story with David Beckham for the Malaria Must Die campaign below.