On Friday the 19th of April 2024, my son Erik was born at King’s College Hospital. Just 24 hours later, he was rushed by ambulance to Evelina London Children’s Hospital for life-saving emergency surgery, the first of three operations in his first year.

That Sunday, while Erik was on life support in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the London Marathon passed by the hospital. It was the day my parents met their grandson for the first time, and they made sure I stepped outside for a few minutes. We walked across Westminster Bridge and watched the runners pass the Houses of Parliament. Next year, I will run the marathon, to support the amazing work Evelina do.

After two intense weeks in the NICU, Erik was discharged. However, over the next few months, we returned to Evelina for two more week-long stays, each time placing our son’s life in the hands of the surgical and paediatric teams.

Throughout those days and nights, we witnessed the extraordinary care, compassion, and dedication of the Evelina staff, not just for us, but for so many families around us. From our ward, we could look down into the atrium where the school and play areas are. We saw the incredible support provided for the children who call Evelina their home for weeks, months and even years at a time.

Every year more than 104,000 children and young people experience the warmth of Evelina London, which is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. They see first-hand the care and passion of the Evelina London team who are exploring new approaches and creating ground-breaking care for children and young people.

Running the London Marathon is a way of saying thank you to the surgeons, the nurses, the support staff, and everyone who gave Erik the chance to become the healthy, happy little boy he is today. The money raised will help more children like Erik have positive outcomes.

I’m not an experienced runner. The furthest I've run so far is just over 10k.

Running the Marathon will be emotional, it will be cathartic, and I hope it will make a difference.

Please consider sponsoring me. Every donation goes directly to supporting the incredible work at Evelina London. Sharing this page with friends, family, or your workplace would also be a huge help.

Your donation will help Evelina provide the best possible care, from funding pioneering new clinical research, and purchasing life-saving equipment, to making wards feel comfortable, supporting parents dealing with life changing diagnoses, and delivering projects to reduce health inequalities.

Thank you for your support, and for helping me celebrate Erik’s journey in such a positive way.

Let's go!