** We've not stopped raising money! Unfortunately this page expired and we can not re-open it so have started a new page here. Thank you to everyone thats given a donation! **

On the 13th of June 2022 my wife Jo gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, Marty.

Unfortunately this wasn't as expected; we were on holiday in France with our daughter when Jo picked up an infection in her blood that caused the early birth of Marty at 26 weeks.

For any parent reading this I'm sure you simultaneously can and can't imagine all of the things that were running through our minds during this time. In a foreign country where our language skills were limited to ordering a table and some food, we were suddenly thrown into a world of medical language and incomprehension of what was happening to our family.

Marty was born in Côte De Lumière (Les Sables-d'Olonne) and transfered via helicopter to Nantes University Hospital.

We joined Marty on the evening of the 14th and everything was looking up, there was even talk of how we were going to get Marty home to Cardiff later that week. Sadly over the coming days Marty suffered a bleed on his brain that could not be stopped and we had to say goodbye to our son on the 19th June, having known him for 1 short week.

The care my family received during this time was exceptional. The doctors and nurses in both hospitals were fantastic, going out of their way to make sure we understood what was happening whilst creating precious time with our son. We will never be able to thank those who helped us enough.

In light of everything that has happened, we wanted to raise money for a number of charities involved in this specialist care and providing support to families who find themselves in this difficult position.

My goal is to cycle from St Malo (where our 'holiday' started), through to the hospital in Nantes and finally to Côte De Lumière where Jo gave birth. The route will be about 400 miles and my intention is to cover this distance over a week. Having never cycled further than 20 miles, not being an avid cyclist or even relatively fit, this is going to be quite a challenge! Any donations you can offer will be greatly received and distributed to 2Wish Foundation, Noahs Ark Tiny Lives Appeal and Nantes University Hospital Neonatal Care .

If you are interested in joining me on this journey please don't hesitate to reach out!

Why These Charities

2Wish - This charity provides support and bereavement counselling for families who suffer the loss of a young child across Wales.

Noahs Ark Tiny Lives Appeal - This fund supports the Cardiff Neonatal intensive care unit, support premature babies. This is our local hospital and is where Marty would have been cared for if this had happened to us at home.

Nantes University Hospital Neonatal Care - The support we had during our time here was overwhelming. The Nurses and Doctors couldn't do enough for our family and took care of Marty like he was a member of their own family.

Marty Matters

Jo has been writing about the story of Marty's life and her experiences in the months that have followed. Please visit Marty Matters to read more.