My Story

In 2016, we were expecting our first baby (Jack). In April 2016, Leah suddenly began to feel very poorly. We had multiple trips to the Doctors and made multiple phone calls to the maternity ward. Over and over again we were told it was nothing and to go home and rest.

Going with our gut, we decided to make a trip to the walk-in centre and were quickly sent to the hospital. Let's just say, if we didn't take this trip both Leah and Jack would not be here today. 

Leah had a rare form of Pre-Eclampsia called HELLP Syndrome. This condition is so rare that our room on the ICU maternity ward was full of consultants and students, as they needed to use this opportunity to learn. 

HELLP is the medical term for one of the most serious complications of pre-eclampsia, in which there is a combined liver and blood clotting disorder. H stands for Haemolysis (rupture of the red blood cells); EL stands for Elevated Liver enzymes in the blood (reflecting liver damage); LP stands for Low blood levels of Platelets (specialized cells which are vital for normal clotting). HELLP is as dangerous as eclampsia (convulsions) and can be fatal. 

The only way to deal with this condition was to deliver Jack early. Jack was delivered via emegency C-section and was taken straight to the NICU.

We need to help to raise awareness of this condition so others can be as lucky as we were. This is why Mark has accepted the challenge to run the London Marathon in April 2023 and Leah will be completing her FIRST ever 5k and 10k race.

Please help us get beyond our target to help this small charity.

Action on Pre-eclampsia (also known as APEC) aims to raise public and professional awareness of pre-eclampsia, improve care, and ease or prevent physical and emotional suffering caused by the disease. They do this by providing information and support to members of the public who are affected by pre-eclampsia. They also provide information and support for health proffessionals.