This October, I’ll be taking on my first ever half marathon at the Royal Parks Half Marathon, in memory of our beloved son, Adam.

Adam was born in September 2022 with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a severe congenital heart condition where the left side of the heart was underdeveloped. He was essentially born with half a functioning heart.

Adam spent his entire seven months of life as an inpatient at Royal Brompton Hospital, undergoing two open-heart surgeries and countless treatments along the way. Those seven months brought some of the hardest moments our family has ever faced, but when we think about Adam, we choose not to let those moments define his story. We remember his strength. His smile. His personality. The cuddles, the laughter and the incredible amount of love he brought into our lives.

Despite everything he went through, Adam showed us what courage and resilience truly look like. We feel incredibly blessed to have had seven precious months with our beautiful boy and to have created memories we will carry with us forever.

Sadly, Adam passed away at seven months old following a cardiac arrest.

Throughout our journey, The Brompton Fountain was an incredible source of support for our family. They support families in so many ways - helping parents stay close to their children, providing food and wellbeing support, creating spaces and activities that bring comfort and normality during long hospital stays, and funding equipment that supports children’s care, recovery and development. For us, they were always there with kindness, reassurance and someone to talk to when we needed it most and helped make an incredibly difficult place feel a little more like home.

So for me, this half marathon is about much more than running 21.1km. Every kilometre will be for Adam and the children and families The Brompton Fountain continues to support. It will be a celebration of his life, his strength and the impact he continues to have on us. And every donation will help The Brompton Fountain continue supporting other seriously ill children and their families when they need it most.

If you’re able to donate, no matter how much, it would genuinely mean the world to us. And if you can’t, sharing this page would mean just as much.

Adam was only with us for seven months, but the love and memories he gave us will last a lifetime.

This one’s for you, Adam. ❤️