Sometimes life throws you a curve ball that challenges everything you know and changes you forever. 

My moment came shortly after my daughter was born. The first time we took her out for a walk in her buggy she started to struggle to breathe and began to suffocate, it was the start of a terrifying rollercoaster of emergency room visits that included heart surgery, respiratory failure and the search for a diagnosis.  

And this is the thing, scary as all of that was, the really dark, terrifying part was not knowing why it was happening and what the outlook would be. 

When we did finally get a diagnosis, the condition is so rare that it doesn’t even have a name, with just a few hundred known cases worldwide. None of the medical professionals knew anything about it, and that is where Unique come in, they catalogue very rare conditions, produce booklets and maintain a database of families that are happy to share their experiences, it was one of these booklets that informed and continues to inform medical professionals treating my daughter. It also gave me and my wife the much needed information we needed and a support network of families who have lived similar experiences, I can’t begin to describe how helpful this has been in our journey. 

My daughter is now five and in school, those terrifying days seem like a distant memory but whenever I need a role model in resilience, determination and willpower I don’t have to look very far, because I know a little 5 year old girl that continues to inspire and amaze me every day. 

So to support a fantastic charity and celebrate my wonderful daughter, I will be running the London Marathon on the 23rd April. 

Please support if you can.