Story
I’m raising money for Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP), a charity that became a lifeline for our family during one of the most difficult periods of our lives. To support APP and give something back, I’ll be running a 54km ultra marathon around the Yorkshire Wolds in late July.
Just four days after the birth of our son, Patrick, my wife Lizzy developed postpartum psychosis (PP). Postpartum psychosis is a severe but treatable mental health illness that can come on suddenly after childbirth. It affects around 1–2 in every 1,000 births and can cause symptoms such as confusion, severe mood changes, hallucinations, delusions, and a loss of touch with reality. It is a medical emergency and, in some cases, can become life-threatening if urgent specialist support is not available.
Lizzy and Patrick spent two months in a Mother and Baby Unit in Derby, a time that was incredibly challenging for all of us going through the initial shock and then supporting Lizzy on her journey to recovery. While we were navigating fear, uncertainty and trying to understand what was happening, APP provided invaluable support from people who truly understood and had been on the same journey we were on.
Through their network of peer support workers, APP helped both Lizzy and our family through this difficult journey. Speaking with people who had lived through similar experiences gave us comfort, hope and reassurance that recovery was possible.
Today, Lizzy has come full circle and is now a peer support worker herself, helping other mothers and families facing postpartum psychosis.
As well as raising money, I also want to raise awareness of postpartum psychosis. If you know someone who is pregnant, or expecting a baby, please encourage them and their family to learn more about this condition through APP. Looking back, if we had known more about postpartum psychosis and recognised the signs earlier, things may have been less serious for our family. Greater awareness could help another family get support sooner.
By supporting this fundraiser, you’re helping APP continue their incredible work. Just £500 can train a peer support worker — someone who could become a lifeline for another family like ours when they need it most.
I’m raising money to give something back to an organisation that helped carry us through our darkest days, and to help ensure no family faces postpartum psychosis alone.
You can read more about Lizzy’s journey here:
Thank you for your support – it means a lot.