On April 6th 2025, Jack and Tom will be running the Southampton marathon, raising money for an incredible charity called Harry’s hydrocephalus awareness trust (Harry’s HAT). Their aim is to raise £1,000 for a charity that is close to both Jack and Toms hearts.

Jacks son Jamie has hydrocephalus, this is his story.

Jamie was born prematurely on 8th November 2023. Shortly after his birth it was discovered that he had suffered two very large bleeds on his brain during the pregnancy which had left his brain badly damaged and his ventricles completely blocked. This led to an accumulation of fluid in Jamie’s brain, which he could not drain himself, and shortly after he was diagnosed with Hydrocephalus. Jamie had to be fitted with a device called a Shunt, which acts as a drain, removing the build up of CSF from his brain and draining it into his stomach lining, where it is then absorbed. Without any problems, a shunt is a device which can be fitted once and left for life. Unfortunately for Jamie, he had to endure shunt failure after shunt failure, needing a total of 9 shunt replacements.

Since he was born, Jamie has had to endure several MRIs, ultrasounds, lumbar punctures, feeding tubes, 15 surgeries, many of which were brain surgeries, brain drainage procedures, and has spent nearly 6 months of his life in hospital. We don’t know what the future will hold for Jamie as we learn to meet his needs and support him in every possible way as we follow his journey.

Why this charity is so important:

Harry’s Hat is a user-led charity dedicated to supporting the children and families affected by Hydrocephalus and relies solely on the generous support of the public. It is built around supporting families affected by Hydrocephalus through family meet days, online training sessions, WhatsApp groups and informative books for children and adults. Harry’s HAT also provides information for parents, carers and teachers about spotting the signs of shunt malfunction. This is all so important as hydrocephalus is not a commonly know condition, despite it being diagnosed in 1 in every 770 babies, making it the leading cause of brain surgery in children.

Thank you for you ongoing support.

Jack and Tom