I am running the London Marathon in memory of our  beautiful son Joseph Michael Cook.

We were expecting our second child in July 2019, the pregnancy was up and down from the start with multiple scans and trips to and from London for consultations, this lead to a rare diagnosis of an ectopic caesarean scar pregnancy. At 17 weeks gestation, following a number of large bleeds and staying in hospital for over a week I was blue lighted to King's Hospital. More scans lead to a further diagnoses of placenta previa and placenta percreta, where my placenta had pushed through my scar and started to attach to my bladder and various arteries, taking blood supply from here. Sadly, our pregnancy could not continue and following a 6 hour surgery with numerous blood transfusions, our beautiful boy was born on the 26th February 2019. Joseph had the most perfect little features but was just far too small to stay on this earth, we think of him all the time and he will always be our biggest 'what if'. This is by far the scariest and most horrendous thing we, as a couple have gone through.

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust provided us with vital information following our first scan, all the way through our pregnancy and still today with support through online forums. I have been lucky enough to be given a charity place and I am running the London Marathon on the 2nd October 2022 to raise awareness and vital funds needed for The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust.

With the covid pandemic and also the arrival of our beautiful rainbow baby Evie, this will be my 3rd attempt of marathon training and starting from scratch all over again is tough work! This is completely out of my comfort zone and is a huge challenge physically and emotionally for me. I would be so thankful for any donations to this wonderful charity to raise awareness of the devastating impacts of ectopic pregnancies and to continue the memory of our beautiful Joseph.

The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust strives to provide information, education and support to those affected by early pregnancy complications and to the health professionals who care for them. Ectopic pregnancy is a common, life-threatening condition that is the leading cause of maternal death in the first trimester of early pregnancy. The condition affects 1 in 80 pregnancies in the UK and occurs when an embryo grows outside of the womb. The EPT believes that the deaths and trauma associated with ectopic pregnancy should be prevented. We seek to relieve the distress associated with the experience and provide ongoing support through their treatment and beyond.Please support our passionate runners who will be training hard to pound the streets of London raising crucial funds and awareness for ectopic pregnancies.