Nicky
Hi. I'm Nicky. I have one amazing, 5-year old son, work in HR am married to Chris, and live in Gloucestershire, UK. I'm running the London Marathon because in September 2014 I experienced my first miscarriage after my 4th round of IVF (the first having given me my miracle son back in 2010). Having gone through so much, spent almost £30000 and 3 years going through surgery and other medical procedures trying to have a sibling for our little boy and having thought we'd finally succeeded, to say I was devastated is an understatement. I was lucky - I'm an open person and lots of people offered support to both me and my husband in those dark early days, including telling me about the Miscarriage Association - a wonderful charity that aims to provide support and raise awareness of something that is still a taboo subject for many, even though as many as 1 in 3 pregnancies end in miscarriage. If you think about it, the 12 week mark before you tell anyone you are pregnant is essentially a way to sweep miscarriage under the carpet so that people around the bereaved couple don't have to know about it - leaving the couple alone in their grief. I needed something positive and constructive to do, and having recently found running (and lost over 5 stone) decided that running the London Marathon just 4 days before my due date in 2015 (something I never dreamed I do - especially when I weighed over 19 stone), and raising money for a great cause at the same time, would keep me getting up in the morning, get me out of the house, stop the depression biting and help me lose a few more stone. And so here I am - training to run 26.2 miles - that's over 5 hours of running... Thanks :-) |
Chris
Hi. I'm Chris, I'm Nicky's husband, a desk-bound software developer and martial arts fan. Having children has always been difficult for Nicky and me. Our first son was conceived using IVF and after a few further failed cycles, lots of needles and a huge pile of cash, Nicky found she was pregnant and I was ecstatic. After our family holiday in 2014 my father and only remaining parent, died following a second stroke. On the day I was arranging his funeral, Nicky miscarried the twins she had been carrying and I was 50 miles away. It was a heartbreaking time for both of us, one of Nicky's friends mentioned the Miscarriage Association, and I can honestly say that I don't know what we would have done without their support. I'm running to raise funds for the MA so that women can get help and support over an issue that goes largely unreported and isn't talked about. When Nicky ran the London Marathon in 2015 she put a star on her running skirt for every baby that had been lost to someone she knew, the final number was 481. That's 481 times that a woman had to go through one of the most emotionally challenging experiences of their lives. Yes I can offer support as a husband, but I can't pretend to understand what it's like or how best to help. Overall I hate running, every step is a mental challenge to keep going and not give up and go home for a cup of tea. I ran my first ever half marathon in Birmingham in October 2015 after lots of nagging from Nicky. I only expect to run one marathon. EVER. Hopefully this will help me to bring closure to the loss of my two unborn children and my father. If you want to sponsor me as well as or instead of entering the virtual race please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Chris_Adams or click the button below Thank you. |
last year's angel run organisers
Kate
Hi, I'm Kate and I'm a mum of 2, an educational psychologist and live in Thatcham, Berkshire. Although I knew about miscarriage prior to starting my own family, I never appreciated quite how traumatic and heartbreaking it is. It took us a year to fall pregnant with our now nearly 7 year old daughter (chief supporter, see picture!!), so we decided not to hang about too long trying for our second. I was pregnant at Emily's 1st birthday party but sadly had a miscarriage (after an early scan, heartbeat and reassurance that all should be fine - but there was no heartbeat at our dating scan a few weeks later). 3 further miscarriages followed, 1 in the second trimester. We had a number of tests due to recurrent miscarriage, I had an operation to check tubes etc and I went on Clomid (a drug to stimulate ovulation). Our story has a happy ending, which I know for so many others isn't the case. My 6th pregnancy resulted in our now 2 year old son. I have always dreamed of running the London Marathon, and figured as I am 40 next May, this would be a great year to do so! I applied for a charity place with the Miscarriage Association, and when I received the acceptance email, I cried. A lot. It is a chance to fundraise for a charity that has helped not only me, but family and friends who have also experienced the heartache of miscarriage. I have so far run 13.1 miles in 2 half marathons - the thought of running both those races in a row is quite frankly terrifying, but I will do it! If you want to sponsor me too please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/KatePike Thank you!! |
Gemma
I'm Gemma, mother to two, geologist and nursing/midwife student. I live in Sweden, though I'm originally from Huddersfield, UK. Miscarriage is something that has always been a part of my life, even if I have been pretty ignorant of it until expecting myself. My mother had several miscarriages, and a still birth before expecting me, and again multiple miscarriages before having my younger sister (who was born at 26 weeks). I think that we need to talk about miscarriage and let ourselves be open about our feelings and fears, and also that we need better education on how to support all those affected by miscarriage. The London Marathon 2015 will be my first marathon, after taking up running in October 2013. I'm hoping to smash my fundraising target and run in my super spiffy tutu, which has already been down a mine, and round Stockholm Half Marathon. My fundraising site is http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/gemsafkash Fun Fact:- my nickname in junior school was gremlin as in the cross country races I ran like one. |