Hello, firstly I’d like to say thanks for coming to my sponsor page, and showing your support to the Charity, Group B Strep Support and myself in taking on the task of tackling the London Marathon.

Now I’m not sure if you know much about Group B Strep, I for one didn’t. And that’s because it wouldn’t have an impact me as a male.

So… now why would I be running the London Marathon, putting myself through 26.2 miles of hurt for something that doesn’t impact me as a man?

There are two reasons why I’m choosing to do this, and both are very important reasons why;

- Because of my wife, Kat

- Because of her son, George

Now here is the reasons for the why. This isn’t my story, this is Kat’s and George’s

Just over 12 years ago, Kat was pregnant with George. There was little to any information provided about Group B Strep, and also little to no testing done on pregnant mothers.

Now rewind to the day of George’s birth, 2014. Doesn’t seem that long ago really. Kat’s waters had broken, and she was sent away to await the contractions and everything that go with a natural birth. However, this didn’t go the way that it was supposed to.

There was a sudden urgency from the doctors in regards to an emergency C-Section. George’s heart rate was dropping and he was in his waste as well, whilst being under a lot of stress. So the C-Section was carried out. Where you think this would be it all sorted.

However, George was not breathing, the doctors are having to resuscitate a new born baby now. And once George was breathing, he wasn’t able to go home with his parents. He was taken away from them, where he would spend the next 10 days in an intensive care unit to help him regain his strength.

Now, I can tell you this does have a happy ending. George is going strong and loving life, and Kat is such an amazing mother, to George and to our own son Elijah.

So what does all that have to do with Group B strep? Kat is a carrier of Group B Strep, and the whole of George’s pregnancy she had no idea she was, until it got to the birth. As if a woman’s waters break, and the labour is long, then there is a very high chance of the infection passing to the baby in the womb. Which it did that day.

That is why I am running. And that is why I am raising awareness for this charity.