1 in 7 people will lose a parent by the age of 30.

In July 2025, I became one of them.

Just three days after my 27th birthday, I lost my Dad suddenly and unexpectedly. On 9th July, the day after my birthday, I got a phone call that changed my life forever.

While at work that afternoon, my dad suffered a catastrophic intracerebral haemorrhage: a brain bleed so severe there was nothing that could be done to save him.

Doctors gave him hours. He survived for almost two days.

He was only 48.

Losing a parent at this age isn't something you ever expect. You grow up assuming there will be more time: more years, more conversations, more ordinary moments you haven't had yet.

Instead, you're left trying to make sense of a future that looks completely different from the one you imagined.

One of the hardest parts is how invisible this kind of grief can feel. Most people in their twenties aren't expecting to navigate life without a parent. While friends are still calling their mum or dad for advice, celebrating milestones with them, or simply knowing they're there, you're learning how to carry a loss that follows you into every stage of adulthood.

There are so many moments my Dad won't get to see. And there's something deeply unfair about losing the person who brought you into the world while you're still in the middle of becoming who you're meant to be.

What made it even harder was how sudden it was. There was no warning and no time to prepare. I walked into that hospital knowing there was no hope and only one outcome ahead of us.

As we approach the first anniversary of his death, I'm still learning how to live with a loss that has changed my life forever.

That's why I'm running the Scottish Half Marathon in memory of my Dad and raising money for It's Time, a small charity supporting 16–30 year olds who have lost a parent.

Before this happened to me, I had never heard of a charity dedicated to young adults experiencing parental bereavement. But the reality is that thousands of people find themselves in this position every year, often feeling isolated in a grief that few of their peers truly understand.

It's Time helps change that.

They provide grief resources, peer support communities, and free group therapy for young people navigating one of the most difficult experiences of their lives.

A £10 donation could help provide online grief resources for a young person struggling to make sense of their loss.

A £30 donation could help fund peer support services, connecting someone with others who truly understand what they're going through.

A £50 donation could help provide access to free group therapy, ensuring support is available regardless of someone's financial circumstances.

Whether you've experienced this kind of loss yourself, know someone who has, or simply want to help young people facing one of life's hardest challenges, every donation will make a difference.

This half marathon is a huge challenge for me, but I'm determined to do it , for my Dad, and for myself.

Because the best way I can honour my Dad is by looking after his daughter 💙

Forever missed. Forever loved. Forever 48.