2021 was an incredibly tough year for my family. In February last year Gemma and I found out we were having identical twins and after the immediate shock and delight we experienced, the months ahead became particularly stressful. The pregnancy was a complex one with weekly scans and trips to Kings Hospital in London for regular monitoring. The best outcome was to get the boys through to 30 weeks and have a c-section, but our world turned upside down when the boys spontaneously arrived at 26+5 weeks. 

Sadly after 4 days our beautiful boy Hunter passed away leaving us completely shattered and heartbroken. Our other son Hudson was battling for his life and there were times when we did not know what the outcome would be. The amazing doctors and nurses at Luton and Dunstable hospital were incredible and after 101 days in hospital Hudson finally came home. 

As you can imagine there were some particularly hard and dark days and words won't ever be able to describe the grief that we have, and are continuing to experience. What gave us comfort and hope though, was a purple butterfly card we were given from the hospital to put on Hudson's incubator in memory of his brother Hunter. This came from The Skye High Foundation which was set up to help families dealing with the loss of a baby who was part of a multiple birth. The purple butterfly cot card was created to be placed in an incubator or cot in memory of their sibling.

The cot card is used in conjunction with a poster that is placed around maternity and neonatal units, which explains the meaning of the purple butterfly. The cot card allows families the opportunity to make others around them aware of the journey they are going through. Having this butterfly card on Hudson's incubator made staff and families around us in NICU more sensitive and understanding to our circumstances at a time when our emotions were extremely high. This is one of the many brilliant things the charity do to support families like ours.

I am delighted to be running the London Landmarks Half Marathon for The Skye High Foundation, alongside my sister-in-law Georgia Burke, who is also extremely passionate about the charity, in memory of my precious son (and Georgia’s nephew) Hunter Grayson Bath, to raise money and awareness for this fabulous charity that is so close to our hearts. 

Hunter will forever be with us and will always be cheering on his twin brother Hudson, who has been so brave and is making remarkable progress despite his difficult start in life. He is an inspirational baby boy! 

Your donations will massively help other families who unfortunately find themselves in a similar situation by receiving the appropriate support from the foundation and ensuring hospitals around the country continue to have the butterfly cards and packs.💜🦋