I have joined #TEAMLC to run the London Marathon 2026. Please help me to support everyone affected by a blood cancer diagnosis in the UK.

In 2022, our daughter Aria passed away at just six weeks old. Losing her is the most profound and painful experience of our lives. Though her time here was heartbreakingly short, her impact on us — and everyone else who loved her — was immeasurable. We carry her memory with us every day - and she is just a constant inspiration in the way we try to conduct ourselves in continuing with life.

In 2023, I began running. I had never run before in my life, and two years after Aria’s passing, I ran the Edinburgh Marathon. I completed it in support of Sands Neonatal Charity, raising money to honour Aria and help other grieving families. Now, as I turn 40 this year, I feel ready to take on the next challenge.

This time the focus is on a rare and aggressive childhood blood cancer: Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukaemia (JMML), which was unfortunately a big part of our brave little lionesses’ story. By running for Leukaemia Care, I hope to raise funds, awareness of JMML and help other families facing what we went through.

After two weeks of Aria’s life, after she had already faced so much with her Noonan’s Syndrome and fragile heart and lungs, we thought she was doing relatively well - all things considered anyway. Then the doctors told us she had JMML. I remember thinking, “We’ll deal with this too, like everything else.” Then they mentioned chemotherapy. I thought, “For a baby?!” Eventually, the fact that the ‘L’ in the condition was Leukaemia hit home. I had just never heard of a baby with leukaemia. After watching her face the effects of the treatments in her little incubator bed, I can honestly say that no one should have to endure that to survive — especially not a little baby.

Leukaemia Care is a national charity dedicated to ensuring that anyone affected by blood cancer receives the right information, advice and support. Around 34,000 people are affected by blood cancer each year in the UK and they’re here to support them through their diagnosis, treatment and beyond.

Running for Leukaemia Care feels deeply personal and purposeful. Their work supporting those affected speaks directly to the experience my family has lived through.

Taking on this marathon is more than a physical challenge — it is a tribute to Aria, a step forward in my family’s healing, and a chance to turn pain into something positive.

I will never be able to do what I really want, and somehow undo how her life on this earth ended. But I can do this for her.

This run is also for Nikki, the bravery she showed throughout her pregnancy with Aria was something else, only surpassed by the love she showed her whilst she was us, and I could never thank her enough for bringing her into the world. It’s also for Rory and Isabella. It’s important that Aria is part of our family, always, and that remembering her can be about strength as well as sadness.

Because she deserves to be remembered.