Thanks for taking the time to visit my sponsorship page. You have come this far so hopefully my story will encourage you to support a really worthwhile cause.

Helping Those Who Are Too Little To Help Themselves

Every year thousands of children are born prematurely, some very premature. During this time they need support and care to get through those critical hours, days, weeks and months to grow and get stronger. Along the way they receive a lot of support from loving friends, family and exceptionally dedicated medical staff. They also require many specialist pieces of medical equipment that is often quite expensive. Bliss helps by providing funding and support for all this and a lot, lot more. (http://www.bliss.org.uk/)

Ethan’s Marathon

In January 2007 my sister gave birth to twins, Erin and Ethan, 15 weeks and 3 days premature. Erin weighed 1lb 8 ounces and Ethan 1lb 10 ounces, both were no bigger than your hand. Being so little they faced a tough journey to grow and become strong enough to get by on their own. They both fought very hard every day. Some of those days were very good days filled with smiles and it really brought us closer as a family. Ethan charmed us with his cheeky smile and Erin took it all in her stride with her laid back approach.

Unfortunately after 223 days it was time for Ethan to stop fighting. It hit everyone hard, we did a lot of crying and questioning and for a while life wasn’t all that much fun. Time has helped us heal but every now and again it still hurts . (Trust me, writing this is the hardest thing I have ever done!)

But there are also a lot of positives that have come from this. Erin continues to thrive, she is now 3 and eats everything! As a family we are a lot stronger and closer than ever. Marie (Erin and Ethan’s mum) does a lot of great work to support others going through their own personal struggles. (http://ethan-perry.gonetoosoon.org/memorial) And I have another excuse to put my body through punishment, do some pretty extreme things and meet some fantastic new people, whilst raising money for a great cause.

The 223 Challenge

So what’s the 223 Challenge? Simply put I’m going to run 223 Marathons in memory of Ethan and all those other little ones born too early to win their own personal marathons. That’s one marathon for each day that Ethan fought his brave fight. I know what you are thinking: He is crazy, needs his head checking, overly ambitious, it’s bad for his legs and it’s going to take ages! And guess what, I would say yes to all of the above!!! But it is also going to be a lot of fun and will hopefully help others along the way.

My first marathon in this challenge was in London in April 2009. Since then I have continued to add to the total, having just done Boddington Marathon the current marathon count stands at 19.

I never got to hold Ethan, but he is with me every day. He sits on my shoulder, giggles in my ear and gives me a pat on the back when I get tired. These runs are for my family, Ethan and for me, but they are also a great way to raise money for Bliss and the cause they represent. I WILL get them done and would really appreciate your support on this journey, donating to Bliss would be the best way possible.

I hope this has encouraged you to donate to a really worthwhile cause. At the very least, I hope you have been touched by Erin and Ethan’s story and are encouraged to go away and give somebody you love a hug and a great big smile. I will be smiling every time I run.

Thanks for reading.

Noel.