Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am running / walking / crawling the London marathon in 2019. This is my first (and probably my last ever )marathon! so I wanted to try and raise some money and awareness about a cause close to my heart.  

Training is tough but is going okay. My goal is to finish in one piece, rather than race against the clock!  I ran the Cardiff 10k in September and have the Cardiff half in October then it’s the start of long mile training during the winter, ready for Llanelli half in February.

As many, if not all of you will be aware, Mark and I struggled to conceive and we got our miracle baby Ted in 2016.

Our journey to conceive brought about much heartache, anxiety and stress. It’s hard to put into words the feeling of emptiness and ache that this brought. 

The slow process for referral was exacerbated by a decision to suspend our treatment.
We eventually began IUI but unfortunately we suffered our first devastating loss through miscarriage.

Our second attempt was unsuccessful which was closely followed by the crushing announcement that all treatment was being withdrawn due to clinical research.

We were yet to receive our referral for IVF.

Fortunately for us, we were in the position to restart our  treatment privately and we were successful on our first attempt at IVF.

Nine months later, as Mark and I looked at our beautiful son - we honestly felt like the luckiest people in the world.

Ted was undoubtedly born out of love, but Mark and I both recognise that his arrival may not have been possible without medical assistance.

Treatment is physically and emotionally draining; endless appointments, repetitive and invasive treatments, injections, constant testing and the constant agonising anticipation. Our dream of starting a family was at the mercy of science - our eggs were quite literally in one basket!

Many of us,for different reasons, choose not to share our experiences whilst undergoing treatment. What is 'normally' an intimate time between two people, is made into an intensely invasive procedure for those going through this type of intervention.

Whilst I feel extraordinarily lucky to have been able to fund our treatment that gave us our wonderful Ted - we didn't feel at the time that we could carry the hopes of those around us as well. Ultimately, we relied on each other for that support to help mask the pain of our desperation to friends and family.

Ted is now 2 years old and with every day that we spend together, not one goes by when we don't thank the life changing possibilities that fertility treatment bring.

Fortunately, not everyone will go through the experiences that Mark and I have had however, many more will know of someone who is struggling. Whether you are affected by the pain of not being able to conceive directly or indirectly, being aware of the impact that this can have will hopefully better enable you to cope or to help you support loved ones.

So, my blood, sweat and tears this time will go into raising as much money as my tired little legs will allow to find ongoing research and awareness into fertility.

Any money that you feel you can spare will give me such hope that others can benefit from the amazing treatment that's out there...and from having read this, you may have already had your eyes opened a little to what is involved for some in their quest to have a child. Your deeper understanding will help those going through this struggle enormously.

If you can’t donate I totally understand, there are so many people raising money for equally deserving charities, so even if I’ve raised awareness then this has been truly worth it!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read our story.

Claire, Mark and Ted.