On 8th October 2023, Kieran Hagney, Tom Hogan and Stuart Hunt will be running the Morecambe Half Marathon in memory of Kieran's nephew, Eddie Batty, and raising money for Down Syndrome Research Foundation UK.

In December 2022 my nephew Eddie was born at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. Eddie had Down syndrome and after an initial operation shortly after birth to correct a bowel problem, he was doing well. We were all so proud of him!

Sadly, Eddie started to develop problems with swelling and he had to be transferred to the neonatal intensive care unit. He was there for a number of weeks but they were unable to control the swelling and tragically our little Eddie died in April.

We still don't fully understand what happened yet, but we do know that no child, whether they have an extra chromosone or not, should experience what Eddie did.

That's why we want to try and raise as much money for Down syndrome research as we can. Better understanding of Down syndrome will help save lives.

Thank you for donating whatever you can!

If you're feeling doubly generous, Eddie's dad, Tom Batty and friends will also be running, raising money for Positive About Down Syndrome who provided a lot of support for Tom and Colette when Eddie was found to have Down Syndrome. Link below:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/littleeddie-1688913072475

Some words from Down Syndrome Research Foundation UK:

Thank you for your support! Our charity has been getting medical research underway in the UK for Down Syndrome (T21) for 20 yrs. We have gained tremendous scientific data & knowledge during that time. We share all findings with parents & medical professionals so they are able to implement & integrate changes quickly into their child’s life. This research helps the parents, professionals & public to have a better understanding of T21 & the impact that nutrition & lifestyle can have on the wellbeing & quality of life through preventative measure