It is an unbearable fact that 1 in 4 pregnancies in the UK will end in loss

Toria sadly suffered a miscarriage before her 12-week scan. She decided to take on the London Marathon for Tommy’s but due to a hospital scare she had to drop out. She was determined to complete a challenge for Tommy’s, so she took on a 2.6 challenge.

It is an unbearable fact that 1 in 4 pregnancies in the UK will end in loss. In May 2015 I was unfortunate to be the “1”’in that statistic.

Just days before my 12-week scan, the sacred date after which you will feel “safe”, I lost the baby that I had been growing, that had become a part of me and my family, and that all my excitement for my future had suddenly become pinned on.

Sadly there are so many other women out there who know the feeling of loss that we felt at that time.

It is unbearable to think that so many women must deal with this loss later in pregnancy, during and even after the birth of their child.

I also work as a neonatal intensive care nurse at Worcestershire Royal Hospital, so I have seen the devastating effect that premature birth and neonatal death has on families.

This year I was aiming to run the London Marathon to raise money for Tommy’s, a charity that funds research in to miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth.

I have raised nearly £6,500 for Tommy’s through my sponsorship for this year's London Marathon but unfortunately I had to drop out after receiving a health scare.

Months into my marathon training programme, I felt a lump in my pelvis. After many blood tests, scans and hospital trips I was told I had a large tumour on my right ovary.

Luckily about two weeks later I found out it was benign, and I had emergency surgery at the end of March.

The #twopointsixchallenge has allowed me to complete the challenge I set out to do!

I was determined to somehow complete the challenge that I set out to do and support the '2.6 Challenge', to keep fundraising for Tommy’s despite the not being able to do the marathon.

For that reason, I walked 2.6 miles on Sunday, which was still a challenge for me at this point in my recovery.

I asked friends and family just to walk or run any distance on Sunday so they could help me achieve the full distance and the response has been fantastic - a real team effort which is so heart-warming in these times. So far, we have all pitched together and walked/ run over 9 whole marathons!

I am passionate about helping Tommy’s with their amazing work and I hope the money I raise will help give more parents successful pregnancies and happy outcomes.

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