Rosie arrived at 29 weeks (born 2lbs 5oz) and almost 3 months premature. To hear Rosie would arrive so early via an emergency C-section was not the birth any of us had in mind. From the moment Rosie arrived into the world we felt blessed and extremely grateful for her health and the care that both Rosie and ourselves as a family received, courtesy of the Aberdeen maternity hospital neonatal unit. Rosie initially was cared for by the intensive care unit where she stayed under round the clock one-to-one care from paediatric nurses. Due to the geography of our local area and the distance to the hospital from home for many families, the hospital provides accommodation on site for parents to be able to be by their babies side whenever possible. As a family, we found this to be an absolutely critical service that we will forever be grateful for. 

In total, Rosie, Shelly and I spent 46 days and nights in the hospital whilst Rosie grew bigger and stronger. During our families stay, we met lots of other parents in similar circumstances to our own. We learned that the Archie Foundation have been a critical part in supporting families with premature babies in the Neonatal ward. To name a few things, the Archie Foundation supply free bottled water, coffee and snacks on the ward, subsidised food vouchers and book packs to read to your baby. Not only this, the Foundation gifts the babies so many beautiful presents!

As an active runner already I found running has provided me with the opportunity to look after myself physically and mentally from what has been a very intense period of life. Now that we are home and Rosie continues to thrive, I feel now is the time to try to give back. 

So the challenge....46kms+, 46 times in 2022. To raise £4600+ for the Archie Foundation the official charity of the Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital in Aberdeen, the Highland Children's Unit in Inverness and Tayside Children's Hospital in Dundee. We also support the neonatal unit in Aberdeen under Friends of the neonatal unit as well as Grampian Child Bereavement Network, making sure no baby or child is left out. Every year we impact on the healthcare of more than 175,000 sick children. We buy specialist equipment, support families, create amazing hospital environments, enhance staff training, buy toys, fund research, provide specialist staff and respond in emergencies. Our donors, volunteers and supporters make this possible and we're hugely grateful to every single one of them.

Please help me to support local sick children by donating whatever you can afford. Every donation makes a difference and helps to support the Highland Children's Unit. Money raised will be used to fund specialist equipment, advanced staff training, emergency grants for patients and their families, and outdoor garden spaces. Your support has a huge impact on local sick children. They may not be able to tell you how much they appreciate your generosity but I can, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH.