I’m taking on a triathlon this year, but this is about far more than a physical challenge.

In April last year, at 20 weeks pregnant, my wife noticed that something wasn’t right and went straight to UCLH, hoping for reassurance. Instead, we were given the devastating news that our baby no longer had a heartbeat.

What many people don’t realise about late miscarriage is that it doesn’t end there. My wife still had to go through labour. I watched her endure contractions and deliver our baby, knowing what we had already lost. We then had to say goodbye and bury our child.

It is something no parent should ever have to experience.

In those darkest moments, the bereavement midwives at UCLH were extraordinary. They supported us with compassion, dignity and care when we needed it most. They were, quite simply, our guardian angels.

I’m doing this triathlon in honour of every family who has experienced the heartbreak of baby loss. For those who have had to watch the world keep moving while their own world stands still. And above all, for my incredibly strong wife.

I’m raising funds for the UCLH Butterfly Charity, which helps provide something so vital in those moments; a safe, private and compassionate environment for families who have lost a baby, as well as funding research to help prevent this from happening to others.

Right now, UCLH does not have a dedicated Butterfly Suite. This means bereaved families are often surrounded by the sounds and sights of the main maternity ward; newborn babies, new parents, life continuing all around them.

The new Butterfly Suite will change that. It will give families the space to grieve in privacy, to spend precious time with their baby, and to begin processing a loss that no words can fully capture. At the same time, they will still have immediate access to expert, compassionate care from world-class healthcare professionals.

If you’re able to donate, you are helping to create that space. You are helping families at their most vulnerable moment feel supported, protected and cared for. And you are contributing to research that could spare others from this heartbreak.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, and for any support you can give. It truly means more than words can say.