I am running the London Marathon on Saturday 24 April 2026 to raise funds for “A Goal for Sam” which is a Special Named Fund we established at the Children & Young People’s Cancer Association (CCLG) following the death of our son Sam to acute myeloid leukaemia a week before his 7th birthday in June 2023.

Sam was only ill for a week before he died and during that time he was twice misdiagnosed with a vomiting bug. A catastrophic cancer masquerading as a normal childhood illness inside an otherwise healthy child. We would soon learn that this was not an unusual presentation and outcome for a child with AML.

Sam will never go to University, have a job or a career. He will never fall in love, have children or grandchildren. He will never learn to shave, drive a car, or have a pint with his Dad. He will never take his younger brother to school. He will never know that he has another little brother who resembles him in every way. He has missed out on so much already and we are determined that his death should not be in vain.

A Goal for Sam provides Sam’s death with meaning and a legacy that he will otherwise be deprived of. In his name we raise funds for crucial research into paediatric acute myeloid leukaemia so as to give other children greater prospects of diagnosis and survival in future.