There are two things in life I really love

1. my two gorgeous girls (and their Dad!) and
2. a challenge

It's because of the first I'm doing the second. Not all of us are lucky enough to choose the challenges life gives us and that is why in April I will be running all 26.2 miles of the London Marathon to raise much needed money for the Lister Hospital Neonatal Unit. Stevenage.

Andy and I have been blessed with two beautiful, healthy girls - both delivered at the Lister without complications. Both times I was home with my babies within 24 hours and looking forward to sleepless nights feeding and soothing my precious bundles of love.

For some new parents the sleeplessness can be driven by something far more distressing..... having a baby too soon, too small or too sick - not being able to hold them, feed them or take them home.

Having a baby in neonatal care can crush even the biggest and strongest personalities. I know this because this happened to one of my closest friends and team mates - Kate. We were abroad when we heard that Heath had been born two and half months early. At just over 3lbs with a bleed on the brain, he was going to need to stay in NICU. This struck a chord as my husband Andy was born at 26 weeks at 2lbs 3oz.

I can see for myself what an awesome team of professionals the Lister NICU team are - 3 years later, Heath is a happy, healthy and funny little human!! However, what is not done so well for these families is the facilities. Kate was in hospital for 10 days. Her husband slept in a chair at her bedside every night - there's no beds or showers for dad's (they get forgotten). Heath was in NICU for over 6 weeks. In NICU itself only one of the parent rooms has a fridge, in the families room there are two sofas for the parents of 30 poorly babies. There's no way of cooking - no microwave - there's no space for young siblings to play while desperate parents visit their tiny babies. This can make a hard time harder.

The feeling of helplessness when someone you love is going through this is overwhelming. I want to help now because I couldn't then. So I'm asking for your help (in the form of cash!) to raise funds for the Lister NICU families room.

The bigger the number the easier those miles will feel. Thank you x

Lister Neonatal Big Build, creating a better experience for families with children in neonatal care. The Neonatal Unit at the Lister Hospital cares for over 900 poorly babies each year, with the average stay on the neonatal unit at the Lister Hospital being 12 weeks. The unit is often at, or close to, the full capacity of 30 babies; with two visitors per baby allowed on the ward. The current families lounge only has enough room for six visitors at a time, with limited cooking and washing facilities. The demand far outweighs capacity and lack of facilities results in parents spending unnecessary time away from the unit. This project hopes to make a hard time a little more comfortable by building a special room where parents can rest, prepare a meal and relatives can visit, with toys provided for young siblings.