This April, I’ll be running the Paris Marathon once again, hoping to beat my previous time. But this year, my run holds a meaning far deeper than personal achievement. I’m running for something incredibly close to my family’s heart — something I never imagined I would one day have to speak about.

This summer, we faced the unimaginable. We lost our little boy, Bertie, to an aggressive high-grade glioma, a brain tumour that developed in just four weeks. At 36 weeks, we were told the tumour had taken over the entire left side of his brain. Two weeks later, at 38 weeks, we said goodbye to our beautiful boy.

Amid all the pain, we will forever hold on to the precious memories of meeting him, holding him, and loving him. He was perfect in every way. Running in his memory will be an honour, and as I cross that finish line in Paris, I’ll be carrying Bertie with me every step of the way.

So, in honour of Bertie, I am fundraising for The Lewis Moody Foundation — a charity whose mission means the world to us and one that also connects to my lifelong passion for rugby.

At a time when everything is uncertain, the diagnosis of a brain tumour is even more isolating and support is of vital importance. That's why The Lewis Moody Foundation helps support the key support services provided by The Brain Tumour Charity.

Please help support me as I take on this challenge to help those most in need.

With your support, The Foundation:

- Funds support to improve lives through a series of Family Days each year, run in partnership with The Brain Tumour Charity

- Funds pioneering new research to change lives as only through new treatments and options will the dire survival rates for those with a brain tumour change

- Raises awareness to save lives through the lifesaving and award-winning HeadSmart campaign, to drive down diagnosis times. Earlier diagnosis can save lives

Please donate what you can! Thank you.

Together we can #TackleBrainTumours