On June 8th 2020, my wife, Natalie, gave birth to our beautiful baby boy, Lochlan. Unfortunately, Lochlan  had respiratory issues the moment he was born, and scans showed that this was due to an enlarged heart, a congenital heart defect. I naively thought a big heart was going to be a good thing, and that Lochlan could be one of those athletes you read about, with super human engines. That's not quite how it works. After a couple of weeks of the medical team attempting to find the root cause of the heart defect, the genetic test came back and confirmed that Lochlan had a genetic condition called Williams Syndrome. 

Williams syndrome is a very rare developmental disorder that affects many parts of the body. Its characterized by mild to moderate intellectual disability or learning problems, unique personality characteristics, and heart and blood vessel (cardiovascular) problems. 

To be fair to Lochlan, and also Natalie and I, it was more than just the diagnosis that we had to deal with in those early weeks of life. Lochlan didn't leave hospital for 8 weeks, having been through organ failures, blood transfusions, sleep apneas, blood clots, infections, multiple surgeries and countless injections. Whatever was thrown at him, no matter how challenging, he got through it. In a very different way, I'm going to put my body on the line, and test my strength and determination, to raise awareness and funding for the Williams Syndrome Foundation, which desperately needs funds to finance it's ambitious research and family support programmes across the UK. Also to heighten awareness of all families who have found themselves on a very different journey to that they'd maybe expected, and show support to those who are finding it tough. 

On May 30th, myself and 3 friends (Mark Jackson, Jason Steele and Alex Hudgell) are going to embark on a 500 mile cycle around the north coast of Scotland (the NC500) which we'll be attempting to complete in 5 days. As it's the highlands, it certainly won't be flat. As it's Scotland, there's every chance the weather wont be kind. 

Then on October 16th, Mark and I will be running the Amsterdam marathon, our first attempt at that distance, 10k being my longest to date. Some might cynically question picking arguably the flattest course we could find. I'd like to remind/point out to those cynics, that we're in our 40s! :) 

I'd love it if you could show your support, and sponsor us on our ambitious attempt to complete both of these challenges in the same year. It's not going to be easy, but those that know us, will know that we'll be determined to put everything into it. 

By all means spread the word, the more support the better. 

Thank you so very much for your support. It means a great deal. 

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