I'll be running the 2027 TCS London Marathon, to give every baby the best possible future. 💙

If I could tell the younger Josh that I would be running the London Marathon, he probably wouldn't believe you.

Bliss are a wonderful charity who support babies who were born sick or premature and their families, and with Phin spending his first days in Neonatal care, Bliss is a charity that's very close to our hearts as a family.

Our Story

Phin was born via an emergency C Section on 26th February 2024. After over 12 hours of Holly going through the pains of being induced, doctors informed us that they were losing Phin's heartbeat, and that Hollys was slowing down. In a matter of seconds we were being rushed down the corridor into the operating room, probably one of the scariest moments of our lives, especially for Holly. The initial procedure went very quickly and our amazing boy was born.

Unfortunately it was obvious very quickly that he was struggling to breathe and we later found out that this was due to him taking in amniotic fluid and his own faeces which had scarred his lungs.

Phin was rushed down to SKIBU whilst Holly was still in theatre. At that moment Doctors found an internal bleed after completing Hollys procedure, meaning her recently closed wound had to be reopened in efforts to resolve the issue. Meanwhile she had only actually seen Phin for a matter of seconds. A horrific time for her.

I visited Phin downstairs in SKIBU where I had the worst conversation of my life. Phin needed a higher level of care that Yeovil couldn't offer, and needed to be transferred to Taunton. Despite our best efforts, as Holly was completely bed bound and unable to walk due to her operation, she was deemed by doctors too poorly to travel. Phin was taken to Taunton in what we called 'the spaceship' by Tauntons Neonatal team as we stayed in Yeovil. Its easy for me to say how difficult this was but in truth it was only a small percentage of what Holly was going through.

I travelled to see Phin in Taunton and the Neonatal team were absolutely phenomenal. We could never thank them enough for giving our boy the care he desperately needed. They sat with me as we fed Phin breast milk from a cup (who knew a newborn could drink from a cup), supported me to be able to give my boy a cuddle and they showed me how to change my first nappy. The care those individuals in Musgrove provided our boy was something we could never repay, and if by running the marathon we can give that same opportunity to at least one other family, to have the care and support they need, then I'd happily run 26 miles.

I'm running for my family, Holly & Phin, what they went through during childbirth, and to give something small back to provide the same opportunity to another family who need that vital care.

#TeamBliss

1 in every 7 babies born in the UK will need specialist care.

Bliss is the leading UK charity for babies born premature or sick. They rely on donations to fund their work, and without your help they won't be able to reach the 90,000 babies needing neonatal care each year.

By sponsoring me, your donation to Bliss will drive improvements in neonatal care, to ensure that the needs of babies are at the heart of policy and planning for the future, and to provide information and support to all families with a baby born premature or sick.