Hi I’m Dan and I’m getting my bum of the couch this May to do the Great Manchester Run 10k to help raise money for Spoons.

Back in 2022 my wife and I found out we were having triplets and after the shock wore off we were really happy and set off on our journey to parenthood. We decided on the names Mabel, Florence and Wilfred and started to plan our lives around them.

Over the following weeks we were told Mabel was smaller than Florence and because they shared the same placenta we would need fortnightly scans to monitor the size of them making sure one didn’t become a lot bigger than the other.

During week 28 of the pregnancy we went for a scan and found out Mabel was in trouble and had become a lot smaller than her identical twin Florence and we would have to act quick to help her over the next few days. It went from us being told to expect to give birth in the next few days to having an emergency cesarean a few hours later that night. We were sent to St Mary’s Hospital in Manchester where Mabel, Florence and Wilfred arrived and went straight to the neonatal intensive care unit. It was a lot to take in but we were happy they were safe.

Unfortunately over the next few days we found out Mabel was really poorly and had suffered a grade 4 bleed on both sides of her brain. After a week Mabel wasn’t strong enough to carry on and we had to say goodbye to her and it is the hardest thing we’ve ever had to do. We spent the next 8 weeks travelling to and from intensive care to look after Florence and Wilfred until they were strong enough to come home. During this time we were rocked by conflicting emotions of happiness and sadness because of what happened and it really took its toll on us.

This is where Spoons came into there own offering us support, trauma therapy and by attending their groups where we met other parents who had been through similar situations, we didn’t feel as alone.

This is why I would like to raise money for Spoons so I can thank them on behalf of our family and so they can help other families going forward.

Any money or support you give would mean the world to me and Pip.

Spoons’ team of skilled staff and volunteers help to reduce the stress, isolation and worry felt by families going through neonatal care in Greater Manchester. Through advice and information, peer support, trauma therapy, resource packs, support groups, advocacy, community activity groups and much more, Spoons offers the practical and emotional support needed by families experiencing neonatal care - www.spoons.org.uk.