Despite the odds

Over Easter, Jen and I found out that we were pregnant. We were over the moon, and completely failed to not get too excited. Within days, we'd started our list of names, planned our shared leave and even started buying nursery furniture.

Then, we got the phone call that nobody wants. Our unborn child was likely to have a chromosome abnormality called Edwards Syndrome. They were unlikely to make it to birth, and even if they did, there was a 9 in 10 chance they wouldn't make it to their first birthday.

We were crushed, grieving our unborn child.

We had to wait a couple of days, which turned into a couple of weeks, for confirmation test results but started to plan for the worst. Our child, even if they were born, might never leave hospital and would be in and out of surgery with organ issues. We couldn't do that to them, so we decided that we were going to terminate the pregnancy - a decision I found much harder than expected.

But everything changed, again. Another phone call, this time with diagnostic results that confirmed that our little one, our little boy in fact, was healthy and in the clear after what was actually a false positive. We haven't stopped smiling since!

Needless to say, it was a rough couple of weeks, but silver linings were clear. First, we're so grateful for our friends and families, who dropped everything wherever we needed them.

Finally, the day after we got our bad news, the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. Terminating our child would have been heart-breaking and awful, but for us better than the alternative of either stillborn or early passing. And we know we're not alone. Over the last couple of weeks, we've found out from our friends how common either abortions or prenatal emergency medical care is. We're so lucky to have the option to abort, and the certainty of healthcare.

Jen and I want to do something to mark our news, and to give back to those who don't have the same rights or access. Each day, over 800 women around the world die in child birth, from pregnancy complications or unsafe abortions - the vast majority of which would be avoidable in somewhere like the UK.

So we're raising money for Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders, including their amazing maternal health care in the communities who need it most.

In September, I'll be taking part in my first ever triathlon, the Helvellyn Triathlon, or "one of the toughest triathlons in the world". 1500m open water swim, 59km cycle with over 1000m ascent (including the infamous Struggle), and then running up and down Helvellyn (another 830m of ascent). When we feared the worst Jen was going to do this challenge too, but now she’ll be instead doing something arguably far tougher as she’ll be 6 months pregnant at this time and will instead be cheering me on!

If you'd like to support, we'll match every donation up to £500.