I am raising money for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) — a charity that has been providing free accommodation to families with seriously ill children in hospital across the UK since 1989.

This charity is incredibly close to our hearts, because it has been our home away from home.

On 2nd June 2025, our baby boy, Joaquin, was transferred by ambulance to Evelina London Children’s Hospital, a specialist children’s hospital 23 miles away from our home in Kent, as he did not pass meconium within 48 hours of being born. What we thought might be a short hospital stay became the beginning of a long and complex medical journey.

A few days after our baby was admitted at Evelina Hospital, we were offered accommodation at RMHC. The charity provided us a place to stay just a 10-minute walk from the hospital. A place to rest. A place to breathe. A place to gather strength. Had it not been for RMHC, we would not have been able to stay together as a family.

In November 2025, Joaquin suddenly deteriorated. At 5am, I received the call every parent fears — they have pulled the crash bell on him. He was fighting for his life. He suffered three cardiac arrests in the space of two hours. Because RMHC was only minutes away, I was able to reach him as quickly as possible. I witnessed my baby being resuscitated. I cannot put into words how much that meant in that moment when every minute mattered.

During Christmas, when Joaquin was stable enough, we were able to bring him to RMHC so he could spend the day and celebrate with us — away from the hospital machines — the closest we could get to feeling like we were “home.” It was the first time since he was born that he was away from the hospital for that long. That precious time together would not have been possible if the convenience of a nearby accommodation such as RMHC was not there.

RMHC continues to be our sanctuary. As I write this, we have been staying at RMHC for 241 days — and counting. Joaquin is currently in HDU where beds for parents to stay overnight are not available. RMHC gives us a place where we can rest but still be close enough to return to the hospital immediately if needed — knowing how close we are to the hospital gives us a bit of peace to be able to sleep at night.

It also means our family can stay together, with Joaquin’s older brother, Theo, by our side. RMHC doesn’t just look after the parents — they care about siblings too. They create spaces where children can still be children, even when their world feels anything but normal.

Joaquin continues to fight a battle I cannot fight for him. So on 4 July 2026, I will jump out of a plane - I will step out into the sky and conquer my fears — because facing fearful circumstances is exactly what Joaquin has been doing every single day of his life. The difference is, I get to choose this. He doesn't.

I’m taking this leap in honour of his strength, his resilience, and his fight, and for every family who simply needs to stay close to their child during the most frightening days of their lives.

If our story has touched you, please consider donating. Whatever you can give will help ensure another family has a bed to sleep on, a kitchen to dine in, and a place to breathe when everything feels like it’s falling apart.

Because when your child is fighting for their life, being close to them is not a luxury — it is everything.