Thanks for visiting my JustGiving page and for helping me to raise money for the Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC).

Alfie was born back in May 2023, 2-weeks early and weighing a healthy 7lb 13oz. Everything seemed normal until the midwives noticed Alfie had incredibly light white hair. They looked at my wife and I, realised neither of us were blonde so quickly suspected albinism. This diagnosis was confirmed some months later following blood tests. Albinism is a rare condition that affects the production of melanin, the pigment that colours skin, hair and eyes.

The diagnosis came as a huge shock and was hard to process as neither myself, my wife or any of our families have the condition that we're aware of. Albinism is passed on by a recessive gene, meaning the child has to get 2 copies (1 from each parent) to have the condition. Even still, if both parents have the gene, there's only a 25% chance the child will be born with albinism.

Alfie has the most common type, oculocutaneous albinism or OCA which affects his skin, hair and eyes. Alfie has a visual impairment, so has worn glasses since he was 7-months old. He also has nystagmus, an involuntary side-to-side movement in the eyes and photophobia, an extreme sensitivity to bright light.

To my wife and I, Alfie is just our little boy and we don't treat him any differently. He’s always smiling, laughing and keeping us on our toes. Now 20 months old, Alfie is fully in his exploration era; opening cupboards, drawers, doors and climbing the stairs at will. He certainly doesn't let his condition hold him back and is developing into a cheeky little man with a heart of gold.

I will be running 3 races (so far) to raise money for the RSBC. This is a massive challenge as the furthest I've ever ran is 10k, and that was pre-30!

Tatton 10k - March 2025

Manchester Half - May 2025

Chester Marathon - October 2025

If you're still reading and got this far, thank you... hopefully our special little boy's story has inspired you. If it has, please donate if you can and help me reach my target of raising £2,500 for this amazing charity. This is a cause close to our hearts, so big or small, everything helps and will mean the world to our family and other families whose children are blind or have a visual impairment - thank you so much - Nathan & Jessica