Bereaved dad climbs Greek mountain 50 times
Ben Moorhouse walked non-stop from the Angel of the North in Gateshead to Manchester on 12 July, before boarding a plane a week later to the Greek island of Rhodes, where he climbed a mountain 50 times over the course of 13 hours.
The 42-year-old's daughter, Kallipateira, was stillborn at 37 weeks in 2018.
Mr Moorhouse, who has raised more than £13,000 from the challenge, said he wanted to open up conversations around baby loss to help other grieving parents.
The money raised will go to Tommy's Rainbow Clinic in Manchester to fund research into preventing stillbirths.
Mr Moorhouse's partner Gaynor Thomson gave birth to their son Apollon there in 2020.
Mr Moorhouse said he managed to complete both challenges with the help of some "Yorkshire grit and determination".
He said: "It was a massive mental test, but we managed to get through both.
"At the moment there's a Greek heatwave so temperatures were 40C and above.
"There was no shade whatsoever.
"It was absolutely brutal.
"My feet were aching quite a bit last night and my knee was swollen.
"But compared to what some people in the world are dealing with, it's trivial.
"The power of love for my daughter kept me going when the going got tough.
"I just reminded myself why I was doing it."
Mr Moorhouse is no stranger to extreme physical challenges, having completed several over the last decade.
But his preparation for this task was complicated by injury, as he damaged cruciate ligaments in his right knee just nine weeks beforehand, hampering his training plans.
He could not even walk in a straight line until four weeks beforehand.
But despite suffering "severe cramps" in his calf on Prophet Elias Monastery Mountain, he managed to complete his 50th and final ascent just after 19:00 local time (17:00 BST) on Sunday.
Mr Moorhouse, who works for a housing association, said: "I don't very often say I'm proud of myself because I'm quite humble about what I do, but I gave myself a pat on the back when I finished, because it's been a tough year with injury."
He and Miss Thomson set up the Kallipateira Moorhouse Foundation to fund the research at Tommy's Rainbow Clinic, which they said would benefit parents across the UK.
The clinic offers specialist care for women who have suffered a previous stillbirth or neonatal death.
Mr Moorhouse said the subject of stillbirths was often "brushed under the carpet" and that friends and neighbours of grieving parents often struggled to know how to help.
"To put yourself in that person's shoes, I understand, is such a difficult thing to do," he said.
"But this happens every single day to parents all around the UK.
"You don't have to have a big conversation about what's happened, just a simple acknowledgement to say, 'I'm thinking of you, I'm here if you need anything'.
"Not saying something is far worse than saying something you think is wrong."
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Related stories
Father takes on walking goal in daughter's memory
A baby loss certificate would be 'powerful validation of grief'
Bereaved dads given support in 'macho' industry
Related internet links
Kallipateira Moorhouse Foundation
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Nurse, 26, Lost 270 Pounds After Making These 3 Lifestyle Changes
When his doctor prescribed the first blood pressure medication, Kevin Goode knew his weight probably contributed to it. He was 465 pounds, but he thought his high blood pressure wasn't 'too serious.' Still, it remained high, and his doctor prescribed him a second drug to try to lower it. Soon after, he learned he had sleep apnea and his A1C was 'shooting upward.' If it didn't lower, Goode would need to add insulin to his growing list of prescriptions. Then his doctor gave him a warning. 'My doctor told me that I wouldn't live past 40 with this trend,' Goode, 28, a nurse at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, tells 'That's the moment that everything changed.' At the time, he was 26 and visited a bariatric surgeon for a consultation. The doctor advised Goode that he needed to lose weight before he qualified for surgery. He immediately headed to the gym and sat on a bench to lift some dumbbells. Soon, he started eating a moderate-fat, low-carbohydrate and high-protein diet. '(The doctor) wanted me to lose 20 pounds because that would show that I was dedicated enough for surgery,' Goode explains. 'I ended up losing 80 pounds.' In December 2023, he underwent surgery. As he recovered for six weeks, he was anxious to get back to his exercise routine. 'I was very much like, 'How soon can I get back to the gym?'' he says. 'I was sitting around doing nothing, and I'm not liking it.' Six weeks later, he was cleared to return to his regular exercise routine. Over time, he shed more weight, reaching 176 pounds. 'My goal from the beginning of this whole journey back in February of 2023 was, bluntly, to win back my life. It was never about the weight, never about the bodybuilding, never about looking good,' he says. 'It was very much about (how) I was told that I wouldn't live past 40, and that didn't sit right with me, and I wanted to get rid of all the diagnoses.' This year, Goode took his love of weight training to the next level and is working toward becoming a certified personal trainer. One of the trainers in the gym approached Goode and suggested he consider participating in a bodybuilding competition. 'He was like 'Have you ever thought about doing a show?' and I was like, 'No, I just love it here and I come for the health aspect,'' Goode recalls. 'That's when I looked into the transformation competition.' A transformation competition generally focuses on people who have lost weight. Goode will compete in October in Chicago. As part of his preparation, he has focused more on lifting and less on cardiovascular exercise. 'Instead of doing 45 minutes of strength training and 30 of cardio, it's more like an hour strength training and maybe 15 minutes cardio,' he says. This caused him to gain some weight, and he's now at 210 pounds, but it's 'more muscle.' His diet has changed, too, and he focuses on counting macronutrients. He still eats a lot of protein, but with lower-fat foods and now incorporates complex carbohydrates into his diet. Losing fat while gaining muscle has changed his outlook on calories and how important they are for energy, he says. Since losing weight and transforming his body with lifting, Goode feels he's become 'more emotionally intelligent.' 'I share a lot more about myself,' he says. 'I'm 20 times more confident than I have ever been in my life.' Ahead, Goode shares what worked for him when it came to transforming his body. 'Nutrition Is Going To Be Your Biggest Thing' Eating fewer calories than he burned, what's known as a calorie deficit, helped Goode shed the weight. 'Nutrition is going to be your biggest thing,' he says. 'The biggest advice as far as actually losing weight is just (being in) a calorie deficit.' 'Fall in Love with the Small Wins' Focusing too much on the scale can feel overwhelming. People might think they look great, but the scale shows their weight increased slightly. Instead of focusing on the numbers, Goode urges people to 'fall in love with the small wins.' Goode keeps a running list of his in his notes app. 'I don't have to pick up my foot to tie my shoe. I can just bend over,' he says. 'I always made a joke that laptops are not laptops. There's no way that is sitting on my lap. But now I'm like I got all this room.' But his 'biggest non-scale victory' has been the difference he's noticed at work. 'Being able to move around (the hospital) room a lot easier, being able to play with the kids without getting out of breath,' he says. 'I enjoy it so much more now because I'm not getting (to) the end of the 12-hour shifts completely, like, dead.' Find Support While Goode taught himself how to work out, he hasn't been entirely alone in his process. 'I had the community support from the gym. My mom has been a huge supporter. All the nurses at work, they've been fantastic,' he says. 'I can't go without mentioning my amazing girlfriend. She's just been super supportive.' This article was originally published on Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rishabh Pant makes surprise return in fourth test between England and India
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — India cricket star Rishabh Pant made an unexpected return in the fourth test against England on Thursday after fears he would be ruled out of the match with a foot injury. Pant retired hurt on day one when an attempted reverse sweep off Chris Woakes saw the ball deflect onto his right foot. He had to leave the field on a cart, with his foot swollen. But he was back at the crease after India lost two wickets in the opening session of the second day, even if he was walking uncomfortably as he came out to replace Shardul Thakur (41). Pant resumed on 37 and was immediately put under pressure by England captain Ben Stokes. He added two runs before rain stopped play around 10 minutes before lunch with India on 321-6. With India resuming on 264-4, England made a quick start with Ravindra Jadeja (20) caught by Harry Brook at slip off Jofra Archer to make it 266-5. It was 314-6 when Thakur was caught by Ben Duckett off Stokes. Pant's injury had been one of the main talking points on the opening day, with reports he had sustained a fracture. India said he would be replaced by Dhruv Jurel as wicketkeeper for the rest of the match, but would be available to bat despite his injury. And Pant emerged to cheers from all around Old Trafford as he walked slowly out onto the field. England leads the five-match series 2-1. ___ James Robson is at ___ AP cricket:
Medscape
4 hours ago
- Medscape
Maternal T1D Raises Odds of Adverse Neonatal Outcomes
TOPLINE: In a nationwide study of over 1.4 million singleton births, neonates of mothers with type 1 diabetes (T1D) had substantially higher odds of stillbirth, congenital malformations, preterm birth, hypoglycaemia, and neonatal death. METHODOLOGY: Researchers in Sweden conducted a nationwide cohort study of 1,402,394 singleton births to compare adverse neonatal outcomes between infants born to mothers with and without T1D. Data of neonates delivered at 22 or more completed gestational weeks between 2010 and 2022 were retrieved from the national birth register. Maternal T1D diagnoses and neonatal complications were ascertained from antenatal records and diagnostic codes. TAKEAWAY: During the study period, 0.5% of women were diagnosed with T1D. Neonates born to mothers with T1D had higher odds of stillbirth (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.54; 95% CI, 1.98-3.28) and congenital malformations (aOR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.50-1.84). Women with T1D and underweight or obesity showed a significantly higher prevalence of congenital malformations than their normal-weight counterparts. Neonates of women with T1D were far more likely to born preterm (< 34 weeks of gestational age; aOR, 3.80), be large for gestational age (aOR, 22.0), develop hypoglycaemia (aOR, 45.85), and experience neonatal mortality (aOR, 4.1). IN PRACTICE: "Neonates born to mothers with type 1 diabetes faced higher risks compared to neonates born to mothers without type 1 diabetes, highlighting the need for a better understanding of the causation and how care can be improved for their mothers," the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Alexandra Goldberg, Karolinska Institutet Soder Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. It was published online on July 15, 2025, in Acta Paediatrica. LIMITATIONS: The authors were unable to account for all potential diabetic complications and maternal postprandial glucose levels before and during pregnancy. This study included only pregnancies that have completed 22 or more gestational weeks, which may have introduced selection bias. The authors could not control for elective or missed abortions attributable to congenital malformations. DISCLOSURES: This study did not receive any specific funding. The authors declared having no relevant conflicts of interest. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
