I’m running 50k in September for families facing baby loss
I'm running 50k in September for every much-loved baby sadly not here today.
Sands ensure that everyone affected by the loss of a baby gets the support they need and deserve when facing the toughest of times. They campaign for change, provide training for midwives and healthcare professionals, and support research so that fewer babies die and so that fewer families experience the tragedy of losing their baby. Anything you are able to donate means so much.
50K for My Son, and for the Families Who Need SANDS
In September, I’m going to do something that, at one point, I never thought I would be capable of doing.
I’m going to run 50 kilometres.
I’m doing it to raise £250 for SANDS – the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, because this is a cause that means more to me than I could ever properly put into words.
In 2022, I lost my son.
There are moments in life that divide everything into a before and an after. Losing my son was that moment for me.
Grief changed me. It changed the way I saw the world, the way I saw myself and, for a long time, the way I imagined my future. There were days when simply getting through the day felt like an achievement.
My mental health suffered enormously,and addiction became a part of my life i never thought i would find a way back from and recovery wasn't a straight line. There wasn't one moment where everything suddenly became okay. It was a slow process of learning how to live with something I never should have had to live with.
But somewhere along that journey, I started finding pieces of myself again.
And now I'm running.
For some people, 50K might just be a number.
For me, it represents something much bigger.
It represents everything I've had to overcome since losing my son. Every difficult day. Every time I didn't think I could keep going but somehow did. Every small step forward, even when it didn't feel like progress.
Running has become part of my recovery. It has given me something to work towards, something to push myself for, and a reminder that even after the hardest chapters of our lives, we can still find strength to take another step.
So this run is for my son.
But it is also for every parent who has experienced the unimaginable loss of a baby.
That's why SANDS is so important to me.
SANDS helps families who are facing baby loss by providing support and a place where parents can feel understood. They also work to improve care, raise awareness and help prevent future baby loss through research and education.
No family should have to navigate that kind of grief feeling completely alone.
I know how important support can be when your world has changed forever. Sometimes you don't need someone to fix anything. You just need someone who understands. Someone who can sit with you in the hardest moments and remind you that you aren't alone.
By raising money for SANDS, I hope that something painful in my own story can help make things a little easier for another family.
My target is £250, and every single donation, no matter how big or small, will help.
On the days when my legs are tired, when 50K feels like an enormous distance, I'll remind myself why I'm doing it.
I'm doing it because my son matters.
His life matters.
His memory matters.
I can't change what happened to my family.
But I can choose what I do with the strength I've found since.
So in September, I'll put one foot in front of the other and keep going.
50K for my son.
50K for SANDS.
50K for every family who has ever had to learn how to keep going after losing their baby.
If you can spare anything to support my challenge, I would be incredibly grateful
