On the 27th October 2019, after a perfect and happy pregnancy, our little girl Darcey Harper Roberts came crashing into the world.

Born at Leighton hospital in Crewe, the team quickly realised that although she was born a healthy 8lb 5oz, something was not right. 

Fast forward a day and we were taken by a transport team to specialists at Liverpool women’s hospital. Darcey had a severe condition called PPHN along with sepsis and chronic lung disease and needed life saving treatment. She needed a ventilator to breathe for her, had nitric oxide pumped through her body to help oxygenate her blood and at one stage was connected to 13 different drips. 

As we arrived into the neonatal intensive care unit, our nurse Jess explained everything, found us a family room to stay in, printed Darceys footprints and made a memory box for us to keep them in. Jess showed us how to care for Darcey through the incubator, how to change her nappy, clean her and encouraged us to read her bedtime stories. Each and every single nurse, doctor, consultant, receptionist, cleaner treated us exactly the same way jess did and helped us through what was the most difficult time of our lives.

It would be wrong not to mention a few special people who helped Darcey during our stay. Stacey, Becky, John, Leah, Dan, Chris, Laura, Nim - thank you. 

Darcey started to respond to treatment and was well enough to move back to Leighton hospital after 14 nights at Liverpool women’s. 

Darcey is our little miracle. She is fierce, strong willed, confident, hilariously funny and has more character than most adults. Liverpool women’s (and darceys fighting spirit) saved her life. 

Nothing was too much for anyone. No question was a silly one. Each baby was treated like their own.  We’ll be forever in their debt.  

No amount of money could repay what they did for us, but one night during our stay, mark said if we ever were lucky enough to bring Darcey home, he would run a marathon for every night she was there. And that’s what he is planning to do. 

So on the 31st August 2020 mark will run marathon number 1. He’ll then run 1 every month until October 2021 where his final run will be from Northwich back to Liverpool women’s hospital on Darceys birthday. 

His aim is to raise £1118. This would pay for a baby to be looked after for 24 hours in a neonatal intensive care unit. 

If you can, join him on a run and please feel free to sponsor him. 

Thank you Cara, mark and Darcey xxx