This is a very special one for me. As many of you know my dad Richard was born with Haemophilia and spent his whole life dealing with the challenges of this blood condition. The main consequences for him was that his blood would not clot. When he was a child in the 50’s and 60’s very little was known about this condition which was an enormous worry for my Nonna and Grandad. When he crawled as a baby he would get bruises all up and down his legs and arms. When he got something as simple as a nose bleed he’d have to wait for what could be hours for it to stop. Cuts wouldn’t heal and could send him to A&E. Sports were a real struggle but he never let it stop him playing his loved football and cricket round East London. He always inspired me with my own sports and he is the reason I’m in a position to attempt a marathon today. I love my memories of playing football and cricket with him, often getting drafted into his work teams as a child for matches.

Unfortunately this condition led to the most devastating thing that has happened in my life. Due to a long history of complications with Haemophilia my dad eventually passed away when I was 11 years old. It turned my life upside down and sent me to a very hard place for a lot of my childhood.

Some of you may have been following the NHS Blood Scandal that has come to light this year on the news. My dad unfortunately was a part of this. The stories that have been described have been horrendous and have shown such an immense lack of care and understanding towards blood conditions in the 70’s and 80’s. My dad was given infected blood during a blood transfusion for simple medical surgery meaning he had to spend the last 20 or so years of his life fighting Hepatitis C. Through my life with him we had to spend a lot of time in hospital. Even through all of this I never once saw him lose his infectious positive love of life and he’s still my biggest inspiration to not let things get the better of me. He was immensely loved by everyone around him and to this day I still hear the most incredible stories about him from his friends and our family. I’ll always miss him with everything in my soul and I am proud to be his son.

I am going to be running the London Marathon in 2025 and there was only one charity I could see myself representing and that’s The Haemophilia Society (THS). They were the most immense help to my dad throughout his life, even during some of the worst medical news he received they were always there to support him. Bringing him closer to other Haemophiliacs they constantly raise immensely important awareness that is needed for this condition. People being born today with Haemophilia have a much easier journey than the one my dad had and so much of that is down to THS. This condition can hide itself for generations in a family, any of us could find one day our son is born with Haemophilia. THS is the first place to go for all the support and knowledge needed to live with this condition. They have also been one of the key drivers in allowing those who have been infected in the NHS Blood Scandal to receive what they deserve for this grievous misjustice.

There is still so far to go in research and support for those suffering with Haemophilia and these donations will help contribute to this ongoing work. My dad is in a better place and doesn’t have to suffer with this condition or the consequences of this scandal anymore but there are still thousands who do and THS has been there as a support for decades for this.

I am aiming to raise £2,000 for THS but knowing the generosity of a lot of my nearest and dearest I am hoping to smash past this target by the time of the race.

Wish me luck. A lot of you know I’ll need it!