Ten years ago, Steven McDonough (McDee) and I walked the West Highland Way. We are going to walk the whole 95 miles again, this time in just three days, starting on 18 August 2017. Our aim is to raise as much money as we can for Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS).

On Father's Day 2016 my wife Jaclyn and I were overjoyed to find out that, all being well, we were going to be parents after a long wait and a successful cycle of IVF. A few weeks later we were even more excited to learn we were expecting twins. We knew that there were risks associated with a twin pregnancy and birth but nothing prepared us for what was to come. There were a few hurdles to overcome during the pregnancy which in itself was an emotional rollercoaster and included extra screening tests and scans. One issue was that Twin 2 was much smaller than Twin 1 and wasn't growing very much. When it was discovered that Twin 2 had stopped growing around 30 weeks a decision was made to deliver them and so on 31 December 2016 our two beautiful girls were born. Georgia Mary weighed 4lb 1oz and Jessica Lynne just 2lb 12oz.

After 3 weeks in the Neonatal Unit at Ninewells Hospital Georgia was strong enough to come home. Jessica didn't progress as quickly and at 6 weeks she fell very ill with meningitis. However, she fought hard against it and followed her sister home at the end of March.

We were aware that the medical professionals involved in Jessica's care felt that something wasn't quite right with her and so numerous tests were carried out. In April Jessica was diagnosed with Zellweger Syndrome, a rare life shortening genetic condition.

We were recently fortunate to spend some time at Rachel House, a children's hospice run by Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS). CHAS is a charity that provides vital hospice services for children and young people with life-shortening conditions and we believe that CHAS, and in particular the staff at Rachel House, will be invaluable in supporting us as a family through this difficult time.

Steven and I would really appreciate your support. Please help us by sharing this page and donating to help a great charity and the families it supports.