Hello, I’m Billy Lucas and I will be running my first full marathon (the TCS London Marathon) in April 2024, after securing a place in the public ballot on my first attempt. I hope you will take a few minutes to read the very personal reason why I have decided to use this opportunity to raise funds for the charity Peeps HIE.

Peeps is a small charity which provides support for families of children affected by HIE (Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy) – a brain injury caused by lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain, typically during or shortly after labour. They have been an enormous support to my family, whose lives were turned upside down earlier this year, when my brother Jack and his partner Christina welcomed baby Arthur Scott Lucas into the family.

Arthur arrived unexpectedly early, was unresponsive at birth and had to immediately be put onto a ventilator. He was rushed by special paediatric ambulance to Addenbrooks Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Cambridge, where he spent the next month, before being transferred back to Watford Hospital, and eventually home.

The family were told that he had an extensive, Level 3 HIE brain injury, and that he was unlikely to survive. Arthur, however, clearly had other ideas, breathing unaided when taken off the ventilator and gradually coming out of his hibernating state to show small signs of responsiveness. He has continued to prove everyone wrong since then – defying expectations and making small developmental steps that we never thought would be possible. There will be many challenges ahead, and we simply don’t know what his eventual capabilities will be – but he is a little fighter, and we will be fighting with him every step of the way.

During these traumatic early months, Peeps has been an enormous support to Jack and Christina. They have provided a wealth of information and advice, a named support worker and access to a network of other HIE families. They have funded trauma counselling, offered access to a specialist equipment fund and have been a reassuring voice on the end of the phone during difficult times.

To acknowledge the support they have given my family, I would like to use the marathon to raise as much money as possible for Peeps, so that they can continue to build awareness of HIE and support more families undergoing this challenging journey. Any sponsorship you are able to provide – however small – would be hugely appreciated. You can find out more about the charity and its work here: www.peeps-hie.org.

If you would like to keep up with my nephew Arthur’s journey, you are also welcome to follow the Instagram page Christina has set up to track his progress @arthurs_fight Thank you for your support – the training starts now!