Ivy would be 10 years old this year and I've decided to mark this milestone by taking part in the East Midlands Tough Mudder on 4th July alongside my absolute rock and Ivy's amazing daddy, Gary.

Gary will be first doing the 15km Tough Mudder and then I'll be joining in for a shorter 5km version, which he will also do AFTER his 15km.

I started training after Ivy's birthday last year in August doing the couch to 5k programme in a desperate bid to gain any fitness levels. For anyone who knows me, I'm a big lass with big passion and big determination. And this is a VERY big challenge for me.

I'd absolutely love it if our family and friends would consider donating any amount to incentivise me to get through it. I'm just a very over weight, unfit mum who feels the need to mark Ivy's milestone birthday by something utterly ridiculous.

2016 was our year from hell. Ivy was born as our third time lucky baby and was the most perfect princess in the world. Unfortunately at our 6 week postpartum check up with the GP they discovered her head was wider than it should have been on the growth charts. They sent us home to return a week later to check it again. It had increased in size.

They sent us straight up to the Sheffield Children's Hospital where Ivy received a scan which showed a tumour around the size of an adult fist in her brain. She was operated on the next morning and the surgeons managed to remove around 90% of it. They confirmed that due to it being a grade 4 tumour it would quickly regrow. As she was so young, she wouldn't be able to have radiotherapy and chemo would just buy some time, but only a short amount. She'd have no quality of life in this short time and it would have been time for us, not for any real purpose for her. So we made the decision to switch off her life support.

Ivy stayed with us for a couple more days and we spent that time at Bluebell Wood. It meant we could spend her last hours without the need for lots of wires and tubes and have cuddles. We had family to say goodbye and we took her round the gardens in her pram and on the play area like a normal family. Our hearts were broken when she finally went to sleep at 8 weeks old.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------