Ben & David are running the Hull Marathon to say thank you to Hull NICU for the care they showed Ben's son Felix and to raise money for Refugee Support Network in memory of their incredible brother John.
We would like to raise at least £500 for each charity, so if you see one of them falling behind, please help it catch up!
On April 16th 2016, Felix arrived very early into the world weighing only 1lb 12ozs. The care that he recieved was amazing and whilst the journey was very difficult, he left hospital on the 8th July and came off his oxygen on the 23rd August. The money we raise will go towards helping other parents have access to facilities which help breastfeeding and skin-to-skin as both are invaluable for parents and babies, particularly when they arrive early.
John was an incredible support to Ben and Katy while Felix was in hospital and was in Hull to register the birth with Ben even though he had not been allowed to meet Felix yet! Fortunately John and Felix did get to meet and loved spending time together; something we will never forget and are very grateful for.
On the 29th September, John died from a sudden cardiac arrest. It was a huge shock and we miss him so much. He was an inspiration to both of us, always encouraging, always challenging and always pushing us to be the best people we could be. Refugee Support Network was an important charity to him and we would like to be able to raise money in John's memory and also raise awareness of the work they do. Please visit their website, whether you can donate money or not, and have conversations with friends about how we can do a better job of treating each other like human beings regardless of where we are from. John was an example of this to us.
Running has been a solace for Ben over the last 18 months with the parkrun in particular providing a helpful routine. The longer runs have also built resilience and helped fight the mental health challenges that come with grief and trauma. When Ben suggested running a marathon, David said he would love to do it with him and it seemed like it was the right thing to attempt together.
We will be thankful that Felix is with us and remembering John together as we run. We don't carry on doing things like this despite the loss of John, we carry on because of John and everything he was to us and we will do our best to find the same enthusiasm for life and sense of adventure that we met in him in each other.
Thanks for your support!
Ben & David
