Hi everyone,

I will be running the 2025 London Landmarks Half Marathon to raise money for King's College Hospital. A place that looked after and care for our son Aarean when he needed it the most.

Since the day Aarean was born he's been under the care of the Paediatric Neurosurgeons team at King's college hospital.

Aarean was born with a lump on his lower back. This was all unexpected, it hadn't shown up on any of our scans previously.

As soon as he was born March 2023, he was transferred in the ambulance to Kings College hospital with Shah and he spent the first week of his life at the NICU ward.

He was diagnosed with Lipomyelomeningocele and Theathered cord syndrome. It's a birth defect that affects his spine. We was made aware that there is a strong possibility Aarean will need to have a major spinal surgery when he's 1 years old to prevent any further damages to his spinal cord and lower limbs.

Within the first year of Aarean's life he has had to have a few procedures at Kings college hospital for Various MRI scans on his spine and brain etc, each time under GA. For a little guy he's been through alot in the last year.

In April 2024, Aarean had his Spinal surgery at King's college hospital. The first surgery he was in the operating theatre for 9 hours, unfortunately Aarean spinal fluid was leaking quite bad post op so he had to have another surgery 2 weeks later and he was in the operating theater again for another 6 hours. Aarean stayed at King's college hospital for 4 weeks.

This was a very difficult time for us as a family, Aarean was quite poorly, he wasn't his usual happy mister smiley as we call him. He was in pain, he was in discomfort and he couldn't even sit up to eat or drink. We wasn't really able to hold him or cuddle him for long when he was in pain because of his spinal surgery, As a parent this was our worse nightmare to see your child in so much pain and discomfort.

I am forever grateful for his neurosurgeon team and King's College Hospital. I think a part of me will always feel like I own them my life!

So I feel very privileged to be given a place to run the London Landmarks Half Marathon for King's College Hospital Charity.

It will be a challenge that I will have to face emotionally and physically as I am not a runner at all, I have never done anything like this before. But if there is one thing I have learnt from my little boy Aarean is to be resilience and just keep Smiling.

I can't wait to cross that finish line and make Aarean and my family proud. So please help me make that moment even more special by helping me reach my target.

The money raised will make a huge difference to the staffs, patients and their families at King's college hospital.