On Sunday 23rd April, my best friend Dom & myself will be running the London Marathon in memory of baby Leo Blackbeard.

In June, my partner Rachel & I were sent to have a scan with a consultant at Ipswich Hospital. He suspected a rare brain condition in Leo where his brain hadn’t formed the way it should - it is a condition affecting 1/10,000 babies. 

We were then sent for an MRI at Addenbrookes and after the results had been assessed by a specialist in Sheffield, they confirmed the condition. This left myself and Rachel completely shell shocked and devastated.

This was when we turned to ARC.

We spoke with one of their support coordinators about our diagnosis as we were in a whirlwind of emotions and left feeling completely lost, unsure how to handle this news.

On Monday 20th June, at 33 weeks and 3 days,, Leo was stillborn at Ipswich Hospital. We were able to spend quality time with Leo after he was born - these were by far the hardest and most emotional moments imaginable, but they are moments we will treasure for a lifetime.

Without the support of ARC, myself and Rachel wouldn’t have known where to turn or what to do when facing a devastating diagnosis.

Myself and our parents have also found support from ARC through their leaflets and documents to support fathers and grandparents, which was so important to us.

We’ve both also been able to access and read and write posts in the ARC forum for parents which has been incredibly helpful as you soon realise that you are not alone in your journey. 

And that is why myself along with my best friend Dom are running the London Marathon 2023 - you can track our training progress on Strava, either by following us on the app or via the below updates! 

Please give what you can to this incredible charity that have helped me, Rachel and our families so much during the hardest time in our lives and for all of the other families and parents that have lost babies or had a difficult diagnosis.

A message from ARC’s website:

Over 20,000 expectant parents a year are told that their baby may have a genetic or structural condition. We provide parents with non-directive information and support before, during and after antenatal screening. We also provide training and support to help you provide the best possible care to every parent who faces a suspected or diagnosed fetal anomaly.