Our son Louis was born with a potentially life-altering medical condition known as hypospadias. We were told that his was one of the most severe forms and would require ‘at least 4’ surgeries and management. It affected his entire urinary system, from his external anatomy to his kidney (which he only has one of!). From birth, Louis has undergone ultrasounds, radioactive scans, multiple general anaesthetics, genetic testing and complex surgeries, which he dealt with so bravely despite him being only 18 months old at the first operation. Thankfully, after 2 surgeries, he is in better health than we ever could have imagined and he has now been discharged from surgical and endocrinological care for the next few years!

Throughout this journey, we have visited multiple hospitals all over the country, most frequently Sheffield Children’s. During these visits, we were heartbroken by the conditions that so many other children faced. On several occasions, Louis was by far the healthiest and strongest child being seen, and our eyes were opened into just how much hardship other families must be facing, caring for children that had a far more worrying prognosis than our son’s. If we found it hard with Louis, I wondered ‘how do other families make it through such devastating illnesses with their children?’

Sheffield children’s hospital charity provides essential support to these families, who care for children with life threatening disease, cancer, and more heartbreaking conditions. Louis is thankfully absolutely thriving, but we’d like to give something to those who aren’t as fortunate as we are right now. Without donations, charities like this simply cannot exist.

Now, I am not a runner by any means. So I’ve decided to run a 10k - which for me, is a huge challenge as a beginner who has never even completed a 5k. I will be joined (and probably left far behind) by other friends and family members. I would love to do this in aid of Sheffield Children’s hospital, as a way of saying thank you to the wonderful teams that work tirelessly to help children like Louis every day.

I’ve set a target of £500 - if anyone has taken the time to read our story and can spare £1 to support this cause and help me finish my race, I will appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for reading! And now, better start training!