On 20 October, Char and I are taking on a challenge in Henley. Char will be running the 10k and I will be attempting the half marathon, both of which include something called heartbreak hill…

We aren’t (just) doing this for fun, we are raising money for a charity that is important to us both, BURPS, which provides support and equipment for parents at the Stoke Mandeville hospital Neonatal ICU (NICU).

On 17th November last year, our son Henry was born prematurely via emergency c-section. He developed a hole in his lung and pneumonia, which meant he needed round the clock care and help to breathe in the NICU. He couldn’t be fed, lost a lot of weight, and developed jaundice twice.

At the same time, Char was separately in a high dependency unit recovering from severe pre-eclampsia which left her blood pressure dangerously high with a frightening risk of a seizure or stroke. She wasn’t able to spend time with Henry.

Those first few days were the hardest I’ve experienced, trying to split time between wards during the day, and heading home without Char or Henry each night. For Char, unable to cuddle Henry for more than a few minutes a day, the time was unbearable too, waiting to recover enough to be with him.

Throughout this, the care we had from the NICU team was outstanding, and the tools, equipment and support from BURPS were invaluable - from chairs to sit next to the incubators, to cups to take teas on the ward safely, muslins and blankets for the babies, and support. Just £12 pays for a welcome pack for parents on the unit, but any money raised goes towards much needed equipment too such as breast pumps, monitors, machines, units, etc.

We want to make sure more NICU parents and relatives can access that support.

Please donate if you can spare a few pennies for this incredible cause. We are so grateful - thank you.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.