| Why am I running? - Bean's Story |

In January 2024, we found out our first, already adored, baby, Bean, no longer had a heartbeat. The horrifying silence in the scan room while the sonographer desperately sought to visualise the heartbeat we’d seen only two weeks before was deafening. In a matter of days, we, as so many other parents do, experienced so much heartbreak. The endless tears in the silence that followed the words, ‘sorry you’ve had a missed miscarriage’. The seemingly infinite walk out the hospital, and the drive home, while somehow the world continued on. The sobbing and sleepless nights during the week we waited for surgical management, while our baby was still being carried by my wife, while she still experienced intense pregnancy sickness, a constant reminder of what we’d already made it through. All the dreams you have for this growing life, gone. The hurt of trying to get back to ‘normal’ life while feeling like you’re constantly gasping for air. The beam of hope of trying again, but the intense fear of what that future could hold.

This is just our story and there are so many others. A baby lost at any gestation is an absolute tragedy, and parents need access to mental health support immediately as they cope with all of these unexpected challenges that are not talked about enough. That’s why I’m running for Petals.

Beans Story: https://youtu.be/2EUf1WKz86I?si=oL1nXqvUFGjYynjH

| About the Run |

I'll be running the Brighton Marathon for Bean, and on behalf of Petals on April 7th 2024. The run itself is the first Marathon I will be taking part in and is a total of 42 km.

| About Petals |

Team Petals Brighton Marathon 2024

I am running the Brighton Marathon for Petals, the baby loss counselling charity. They provide specialist counselling service for women, men and couples who have suffered the devastating loss of a pregnancy or death of a baby.

It is a sad reality that in the UK, 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, 1 in 200 babies will be stillborn every year, over 5000 pregnancies will be terminated for medical reasons each year and 24 babies die shortly after birth every single week.

Since Petals began its incredible work, thousands of couples have been supported by their counsellors and in the last 12 months alone they have delivered over 5,200 counselling sessions.

By supporting this challenge you will be helping Petals to deliver more vital counselling sessions to bereaved parents when they need it the most.