As you all may well know, my sister Natalie and her partner Carl, tragically lost their daughter, my niece, Isla, on 8 September 2023 at just 13 months of age. Her passing was a horrific and incredibly painful time (and still is) for all of us.

Isla was the first born grandchild in our family, she was an older cousin to my daughter Grace, and they were only 9 days apart in age. Losing her turned our family upside down, and watching my sister and brother-in-law in so much pain is something I will never, ever forget. She was charismatic, funny, chatty and we all loved watching her grow into the beautiful girl she was.

November 2023 it was confirmed that Isla died because of an extremely rare heart condition - Histiocytoid Cardiomyopathy. There is very little known about the condition and thought to be approx. only 150 known cases to date globally. Natalie and Carl were lucky enough to meet a Doctor/Professor at GOSH who had heard of it and he shared the very limited known facts with us. The support they have received from GOSH since the diagnosis has been incredible but seeing children and babies waiting for their appointments at GOSH is heart breaking and they decided to help as much as they can.

In May 2024 The For Isla Foundation was born. Natalie and Carl work with world class cardio consultants at GOSH and through the ”Isla’s Ray of Sunshine” programme, they provide one off gifts to children and babies with ultra rare paediatric cardiomyopathies. They hope to bring a little light to these children and their families in what can be a very dark time.

I would love for you to support me as I run the Barcelona Marathon to raise money for this amazing charity that is so close to my heart.