Bryony and I are running the Royal Parks Half Marathon for Petals charity in memory of my daughter and Bryony's niece Marnie whose life was tragically cut short, before it even had a chance to truly begin.

Petals charity provided Sarah and I with counselling sessions to help guide us through the worst time of our lives as we process the loss of Marnie. The work Petals do and the support they provide is so important for families facing the nightmare that is baby loss.

This is Marnie's story:

Marnie's life began in a petri dish, as part of the exhaustive & emotional IVF journey that we embarked on in 2024. Following a successful embryo transfer, our little lady was officially settled in for the next 9 months and we could not be more excited to meet her. The pregnancy journey was relatively smooth sailing and all scans & checks passed with flying colours. Bring on the 17th April, the date for our planned C-section & the day we finally get to meet our firstborn and bring her home.

With only a couple weeks to go, Katie officially started her maternity leave on the Friday 4th April. The next day, Saturday 5th, we celebrated with family & friends at our wonderful baby shower. The love & excitement was palpable. Marnie was already loved so much & we could not wait to introduce her to everyone in our circle. The very next day, Sunday 6th, we were plunged into any parents worst possible nightmare. That morning, Katie noticed reduced movement and so we rushed to hospital where it was confirmed that Marnie's heart had stopped beating. At 37 weeks, so close to the end, we had lost our baby girl.

The next 5 days were a complete blur, spent in hospital waiting to meet our sleeping baby. After multiple painful & failed induction attempts, Katie was taken into theatre on the 11th, where Marnie was finally delivered via C-section. Even right up until that moment, we prayed for a miracle and to hear her cries as she was pulled from Katie's womb, and yet the silence was so loud & the absence of life was so clear.

Our surgeon informed us that the cord had been tightly wrapped round her arm, which had likely caused the prevention of oxygen supplied by the placenta to pass through to her sufficiently. Despite this information, they may never be able to definitively say the cause of Marnie's death. According to most recent studies, 50% of stillbirths are unexplained. Marnie is now part of that statistic.

We know she is more than that, way more than a statistic. She was destined to do great in life and have a huge and positive impact on everyone around her. In honour of Marnie, and as part of her legacy, we hope to raise awareness & money for other bereaved families who tragically experience the loss of a baby. Marnie would want to help, and so we do this for her, and to make her proud.

Please also follow us on Instagram where we will be sharing more memories of Marnie, as well as updates about the events & fundraising initiatives we will be doing.

Instagram link - https://www.instagram.com/milesformarnie?igsh=Nm5nM25id3V2M2lh&utm_source=qr

We thank you so much for your ongoing love & support.

#MilesforMarnie