Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am raising money for a charity very close to my heart.

Almost 7 years ago we lost our little girl to rare disease called HLH (Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis) She passed away just 3 days after her 6th Birthday. Layla would have been 13 on 15th December.

Since then, we have raised over 100k which has gone to HISTIO Uk who fund the research that this disease so desperately needs and uncover the causes of it. As well as supporting families and hopefully one day finding a cure.

Myself and 7 other of my friends will be embarking on our biggest challenge yet. Climbing Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa at 19, 340ft with hopes of reaching the summit in 5/6 days.

The overall success rate for this challenge is 65%

We will begin our climb on 3rd March 2025

Wish us luck!

Read Laylas full story below ⬇️

On November 24th, 2017, I had a call from school to pick Layla up as she wasn't feeling very well. By the Sunday evening, she'd become so lethargic and spiked a temperature of 40.9. We also noticed she had come out with an unusual looking rash. We made our way to A&E. After her first blood test, her CRP levels (which detect inflammation in the body) were 300 plus. Which suggested an infection and a very nasty one at that. She was then sent to Bolton infirmary where more tests were carried out but after a week there, they were no further on. Laylas illness remained a mystery and was transferred to Manchester Royal Children's Hospital.

The team at Manchester were brilliant and reassured us that she was now in the best care and they would make her better. But Layla's health continued to deteriorate and she was placed in a high dependency unit while doctors continued to run more tests as they still didn't have a confirmed diagnosis.

On Saturday 9th December, Layla took a turn for the worst and was rushed into intensive care and put into an induced coma. The docs warned us then, she may not survive but against the odds, she stayed strong and continued to fight. Whilst in a coma, the docs took a sample of Layla's bone marrow and shortly after that they were able to diagnose Layla with an extremely rare blood disease called HLH which is short for hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. Of course, we'd never heard of it but as we started to research, it didn't make sense. How could this happen to our Layla? She was singing and dancing at a Little Mix concert only two days before. She was never sick!! she was everything a normal happy healthy little girl should be!

On the 15th Dec, her 6th Birthday, she opened her eyes. We put up balloons by her bed and her brother and sister and grandparents all came to see her. It was a happy moment but also very sad that she was spending her bday in the hospital and so poorly. Not quite the birthday we had promised her. However, the docs were really pleased with Layla's progress and moved her into an oncology ward which would become our home until Layla was well enough to come home.

Unfortunately, the very next day, Layla's health deteriorated quickly and drastically and she ended up back in Intensive Care and put back in an induced Coma. Layla was bleeding internally and they sadly couldn't stop the bleed. The machine by this point was the only thing keeping her alive.

Our beautiful daughter passed away at 5.05am on the 18th December and our lives changed forever.

There's a chance Layla may have survived had they diagnosed her sooner. Therefore I am very passionate about raising money for this charity to help fund the research needed to uncover the causes of HLH, diagnose early and hopefully finding a cure. We hope that no other parent has to go through what we've been through.