Loss is difficult for anyone. The loss of a child is devastating. No parent should ever out live their child.


Anyone that has ever lost a child prematurely, in whatever stage of pregnancy, knows this devastation too. The magnitude of the initial news. The building excitement. The anticipation of the family. The well wishes. The joyful conversations with friends. The anxieties. The preparations. The imaginations.


And then nothing.


In the fleeting moment it arrived. It has disappeared. Gone. An incredibly short visit to earth and then a huge hole that feels impossible to fill. Every now and then, when your mind is on other things, your heart will do a double beat just to remind you.


14 babies are either stillborn or die a neonatal death every single day in the UK. Despite this shocking statistic, many hospitals remain ill prepared to deal with these events. Staff often receive little or no bereavement training and facilities are inadequate. Leaving mothers, couples and families lost, alone and at times carrying trauma they don't know how to heal from for years.


Kim and I suffered 10 miscarriages and 2 ectopic pregnancies during our journey to our son, Freddie, arriving. Thank God he is now a fit, bright and healthy 5-year old.


Recently, my sister-in-law and brother broke the news to us that their family would be expanding. We congratulated them, spoke excitedly about how they were feeling and imagined another child in the family. Until that dreaded news. That terrible news that leaves you speechless and sad.


Katie is originally from Kent so when a friend 'randomly' posted on social media asking to support a local charity to him in Kent, which supported bereaved families both in the hospital and once they have returned home, it felt like it was meant to be.


So, on Sunday 10th September this year, I'll be running the Great North Run for Abigail's Footsteps. They have been supporting families through premature losses since 2012 and last year delivered 57 Abi Cots to hospitals around Kent and the UK. They require vital funds to provide more bereavement training, councilling and Abi Cots to hospitals and families suffering loss.


Please don't sweat over the amount - you can leave the sweating to me! After injuring my left foot 12 weeks before the race and it ballooning to 3X the size of my right foot, there will likely be plenty of sweating! Please get behind me, behind Abigail's Footsteps and behind mothers, couples and families across the UK that are suffering their loss today with a small or large donation completely of your choice.


Thank you.


Love and blessings,

Dan x