Thank you for taking the time to read our story.

Towards the end of 2024, Lisa and I went through one of the most heart-wrenching experiences of our lives, an ectopic pregnancy that turned what should have been a joyful time into a period of fear, loss, and deep uncertainty.

Over three long weeks, we were taken on a rollercoaster of hope and heartbreak. We were given glimmers of good news, only to have them taken away time and again. We held onto the idea that our baby might be okay, and then had to find the strength to let that hope go.

Our baby was around 7-8 weeks old when we received the devastating confirmation that the pregnancy was ectopic and not viable. But the emotional toll didn’t end there. For weeks afterward, Lisa had to attend the hospital every single week, enduring scan after scan, blood test after blood test, until her pregnancy hormone levels returned to pre-pregnancy levels. For 6-8 weeks we were suspended in limbo, unable to fully process our grief or begin to heal.

Once Lisa was medically discharged, what followed was silence. No check-ins. No guidance. No support. Just a quiet, aching emptiness. We didn’t know where to turn or who to speak to. We internalised everything and carried on as best we could but the grief never left us. It simply tucked itself away in quiet moments and heavy days.

All of this was made even more challenging by the fact that, throughout it all, we were still raising our beautiful daughter, Harper. She is our joy and our light, and we’re so lucky to have her but navigating our grief while trying to stay strong, present, and positive for her has been one of the hardest emotional challenges we’ve ever faced. Like so many parents experiencing baby loss, we had to find a way to carry the pain and keep going for her.

That’s why I’ve chosen to take on the Edinburgh 10K this May, followed by the Scottish Half Marathon in August, to raise funds and awareness for MISS (Miscarriage Support), a Scottish charity that offers compassionate, vital support to parents who’ve experienced baby loss.

MISS connects grieving families with others who’ve been through similar trauma. They offer a listening ear, counselling, support groups, and the sense that you are not alone because no one should have to navigate this kind of pain in silence.

There is no pain like the pain of losing a child, no matter the stage of pregnancy. But support, understanding, and shared experience can help soften the edges of that grief and provide a pathway forward.

If you feel able to support us, whether through a donation or simply by sharing our story, it would mean the world to us, and to the many families MISS continues to support.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Connaire & Lisa x