https://www.instagram.com/thewarehouserunner?igsh=MTc1OWFzbTNsdXdu

Hello Everyone,

My fundraising event is something that means a great deal to me based on my own journey I have been on with my amazing wife Emma and is something I am passionate about raising money for.

On November the 18th I plan to run 190 miles over the course of 5 days, starting in London and ending in South Wales. I plan to run 38 miles per day from the famous Royal Opera House in Convent Garden to the Royal Opera Stores in Aberdare. A tough challenge you might say, but not as tough as some of the struggles many of us must overcome in our day to day lives dealing with trauma.

I’m fundraising for Tommy’s, the largest UK charity researching the causes and prevention of pregnancy complications, miscarriage, stillbirth, and premature birth.

Our story began in April 2022 when I was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 32. Following this, the odds of conceiving naturally were slim so to say we were overjoyed to fall pregnant in Summer 2022 is an understatement. Our first baby, despite all the odds, we were swept away in the surprise, joy, and utter elation. Sadly, this was not to last and a few months later we experienced the trauma of miscarriage.

We know the statistics, 25% of pregnancies end in miscarriage. What that doesn’t tell you is how isolated and unseen you can feel in your loss. ‘Don’t worry, you can try again in a month’ doesn’t begin to placate the chasm of grief that follows as you are told whilst in the maternity ward. The juxtaposition of being told your biggest dream in life will now not be, when you are surrounded by those delighting in the joy of new life is not a feeling I would wish on my worst enemy.

Despite my many other struggles in life, it’s the anguish of the baby that never was that leaves the biggest scar, the biggest heartache and the biggest hole in my life. If we had been signposted to Tommy’s charity sooner, we might not have had to face some of the darkest days of our lives alone.

Tommy’s mission is to provide pioneering research and support to ‘stop the heartbreak and devastation of baby loss and make pregnancy safe – for everyone’. This is why I am doing this fundraising event. My aim is not only to raise vital funds for research but also increase awareness and start the conversation around a topic that can still be seen as taboo when often all you need is a listening ear and the opportunity to talk.

Please give what you can, your support means the world to me.

Thanks for reading,

Tom