Latest news with #Grimwade
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Father to run 10 marathons in 10 days wearing 10kg vest in memory of daughter
A father is to run 10 marathons in 10 days while wearing a 10kg vest in memory of his baby daughter, who died from a heart condition. Pete Grimwade, 34, from Uckfield in East Sussex, is taking on his challenge to honour his daughter, Isabella, who died at 10 weeks old in September 2023 from a cardiac arrest, with the number 10 representing the 10 weeks of Isabella's life. The progressions manager at an IT firm will be running 10 consecutive marathons starting in Lewes on Friday and finishing with the London Marathon on April 27 all while raising money for 10 charities which supported Mr Grimwade and his wife, Charlotte, through their daughter's short life. He said the challenge has given him a 'new sense of purpose' after he attempted suicide months after Isabella's death. 'Isabella passed away and wasn't able to live her life. After I attempted to take my own (life), I realised I've got a chance here to live my life and live my best life for Isabella,' Mr Grimwade told the PA news agency. 'I hit rock bottom in December 2023, so not long after Isabella passed away. 'Since then, I've been struggling with a bit of a purpose, and this challenge has kind of given me a new sense of purpose.' He will be wearing a vest weighing 10kg to represent the 'heaviness' of losing a child. 'The 10kg vest is almost like carrying the burden of a bereaved parent, the loss and the heaviness of losing your child,' he said. Isabella was born on July 23 2023, with various health conditions, including atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD), which are large holes in the wall or chambers of the heart. She was also born with scoliosis, Tessier cleft lip, ear and jaw deformities and was diagnosed with Goldenhar syndrome, a rare bone condition affecting the face and sometimes the back. One of the charities Mr Grimwade is supporting is the British Heart Foundation (BHF) after it provided him and his wife with 'so much information and support guidance around Isabella's heart condition'. 'I wanted to give back to the charities that supported us throughout the time we were in hospital with our daughter,' he said. He is also raising money for smaller charities, such as Goldenhar UK, which provides information and guidance about the condition, and CLAPA – Cleft Lip and Palate Association – which supports people born with cleft lips. Isabella was transferred from the Royal Sussex Hospital to Evelina London Children's Hospital, where she underwent heart surgery but died on September 30 2023 from cardiac arrest, which Mr Grimwade described as 'the worst feeling in the world for parents'. 'No one ever expects to have to say goodbye to their child, but also no one ever expects to watch their child die in front of you,' he said. He said he does not consider himself 'much of a runner' but said training for eight months to run long has helped to process his feelings of grief. 'For me, it's been a form of therapy in terms of letting my feelings out and just pushing my body and my mental ability to its limits,' he said. Mr Grimwade mapped out nine of his 10 marathons across Sussex and Kent, and will begin in Lewes, East Sussex, followed by Brighton, Crawley, Haywards Heath, Heathfield, Tonbridge, Hastings, Eastbourne and Seaford. The final leg of his challenge will be at the London Marathon. He hopes his experience will provide a sense of hope for parents going through similar hardships. 'I think there is always hope in life. There's always hope of something else or something more,' he said. 'We have to kind of build upon that idea of we can rebuild and move forward.' The charities Mr Grimwade will be running for are BHF, Bliss, Ronald McDonald House, 4Louis, The Early Birth Association, Goldenhar UK, CLAPA, Samaritans, Sands, and The Evelina London Children's Hospital. To find out more about Mr Grimwade's journey, you can visit: To donate to his fundraiser, you can visit:
BBC News
05-02-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Uckfield: Dad runs 10 marathons in 10 days for his baby daughter
A father is taking on a challenge of running 10 marathons, in 10 consecutive days, wearing a 10kg (22lb) vest - in memory of the daughter he lost at Grimwade, from Uckfield in East Sussex, is raising money for the 10 charities that supported him and his wife, Charlotte, through his baby girl's short was born on 23 July, 2023 after a difficult pregnancy - with multiple health problems, including a heart condition called AVSD, a cleft lip and an ear Grimwade said: "I'd always wanted to be a dad and when she arrived I was elated - we had brought this beautiful girl into the world in the face of all these challenges." Isabella was moved to the Trevor Mann baby unit in Brighton and the couple were told she would need heart surgery when she was 6 months after a few weeks she went into heart failure and was transferred to the Evelina London Children's Hospital for an emergency surgery was a success and Isabella's breathing looked like a positive outcome. But in the middle of the night, Isabella went into cardiac arrest, and the couple were called to the hospital as medics tried to resuscitate passed away on 30 September at 02:00."It was devastating - a parent's worse nightmare come true", Mr Grimwade said."Part of our life was taken away and we felt so lost." Shortly after his daughter's death, Mr Grimwade attempted suicide, and remembers the support one charity gave him through that dark time."In the lowest point of my life, struggling to come to terms with what had happened, the Samaritans were there for me - I would not be here today without them."Mr Grimwade's 10-marathon challenge will raise money for all 10 charities that supported the family through Isabella's life and after her passing - including Ronald McDonald House, which gave the couple a place to live near the hospital to be close to Grimwade said: "These charities helped us through the most difficult time, when we didn't know where to turn." Mr Grimwade added: "Some people think I'm a bit crazy for doing it, but it's given me a purpose, to look forward to the future, and a way of remembering Isabella's 10 week life."Mr Grimwade has organised nine of the marathons himself, starting in Lewes on April 18, followed by Brighton, Crawley, Haywards Heath, Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Hastings, Eastbourne, and final leg will take place at The London Marathon on 27 April. The 10 charities he's fundraising for are:The SamaritansRonald McDonald HouseThe British Heart Foundation4LouisThe Evelina London Children's HospitalSandsGoldenhar UKBlissThe Early Birth AssociationCLAPA
