Mark and I are partaking in the London Landmarks 1/2 Marathon and the Paris Marathon in April this year. (please note the purposeful omission of the word ‘running’)

The last 18 months have been a roller coaster, as many of you know, in December 2023 Archer was diagnosed as an incomplete paraplegic with the expectation of being a lifelong wheelchair user.

His journey catapulted us deep into the NHS and the world of spinal cord injuries. We were fortunate that at the time he was still a paediatric which meant there was a ring fenced bed available at Stanmore (London Spinal Injury Clinic) this is a rehab bed where he had physio and OT daily and use of specialist equipment. Archer was single minded and had one objective ‘to walk’ so Mark and I donned our best athleisure wear and dived headfirst into becoming his secondary physio and OTs making him do the same things over and over again.

There’s so many things I could write but this was all Archer’s journey and not ours, so for once I will keep quiet and one day maybe he will share his experience.

We decided that we wanted to raise money for Horatios Garden as the outdoor spaces and garden rooms that they have created wrapped around the spinal injury centre is a godsend, it’s a beautiful space to get out of the ward and feel like you aren’t in a hospital. The events they organised ‘pizza and quiz being one of Archers favourites’ meant that he got to know other patients, helping to create a positive supporting community around his progress with everyone rooting for each other.

Our endless thanks goes to all those that supported Archer at Stanmore who without their positivity and humour today could have looked very different.