"Ten fingers and ten toes”.

How many times have we heard proud parents say this when announcing the birth of their new baby? 

On January 1st 2018 my life changed forever when my beautiful daughter, Leah, was born - and she was missing her left hand and forearm.

Leah and I enjoyed a few precious moments of daddy-daughter time right after she was born.  I looked down at her in my arms and told her that nothing would ever hold her back.  I promised that mummy and daddy would always be there to support her, cheer for her and encourage her as she took on every challenge life throws at her.

Fast forward a few months and the initial shock of being a new parent had somewhat disappeared (although the bleary eyes remain to this day).  I reflected on those words again and it dawned on me that it’s easy to say the words but more challenging to demonstrate them.

So, in September 2018 I made the decision to practise what I preach and I signed up for the Belfast City Marathon 2019, having never previously run for anything more than a bus.  My first “run” ended almost as abruptly as it started after a 400m jog, a painful stitch and an overwhelming feeling of ‘what have I done?’. Thankfully training has improved steadily and I’m looking forward to the big day on May 5th.

I am running to raise money for Reach, a charity that supports children with upper limb differences live life without limits. We have been fortunate to benefit from the support and care of Reach and, through fundraising, want to ensure that other children and families benefit from the same.

I want to thank you in advance for supporting me in this run.  By doing so you’re not only supporting Leah and our family but the many other children with upper limb differences and their families too.

You can check out the charity here: https://reach.org.uk