Tina Pugh

[p]Hello and thank you for visiting my Virgin Money Giving page. [/p][p]I’ve always wanted to run a marathon. And not any old marathon, but the London Marathon. Why? To be honest, I’ve no idea apart from the fact I can easily just walk to the start line! I’ve had this weird obsession for many years and I’m now finally going to do something about it. Now you can’t run the London Marathon without running for a worthy cause. I specifically requested to run for Tommy’s and was amazed and overjoyed when they accepted my application to become a member of their team.[/p][p]Tommy’s is a charity who fund research into the causes of miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth. They believe that miscarriage and stillbirth should not be seen as “bad luck” and find it unacceptable that one in four women lose a baby during pregnancy or birth. Parents who lose a baby are often told ‘it’s one of those things’, ’it’s nature’s way’, ’you’ve just been unlucky’. Would this be an acceptable thing to say to someone who has cancer or Alzheimer’s? I think not – so why do we say these things in pregnancy?[/p][p]But why is Tommy’s so important to me? Well, this isn’t something I normally talk about. In fact, this is the first time I’ve opened up to what happened, but 10 years ago, my life changed forever. [/p][p]My husband and I struggled to conceive naturally so embarked on IVF treatment. The second cycle was a success and we were overjoyed with the thought of finally becoming parents. Then on a routine scan I was told my baby had died. I was just over 6 months pregnant and I felt a part of me died on that day as well. I was induced and two days later, on the 11 May 2007, gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl. She was so tiny, but perfectly formed. We had a funeral and the coffin was the smallest I had ever seen. It was without a doubt the worst time of our lives. I returned to work six months after the stillbirth but, where I once enjoyed working in London arranging events and organising my very unorganised boss, it all just seemed pointless so decided to leave and concentrate on trying again for our precious family. I lost count of the number of IVF cycles followed by miscarriage after miscarriage, never getting past the 12 week mark to actually tell anyone that I was pregnant again. On our last attempt we lost twins at 10 weeks. Unfortunately for us, we never had a live birth and have no children to watch grow.[/p][p]Vital funding is needed so important research can be carried out as to why there are so many miscarriages and stillbirths. Tommy’s Charity has a target to halve the number of babies that die during pregnancy or birth by 2030. If I can contribute in some small way then all my years of grief would not have been in vain. [/p][p]I aim to raise £3,000 by the time the London Marathon arrives on 22 April 2018 but this is where I need your help. Follow my training progress by reading my blog by clicking here [[url=http://2018marathonmadness.blogspot.co.uk]Marathon Madness[/url].]. Forward my details to friends and relatives. I need as many people as possible to see this. I aim to organise local events so keep an eye on my blog for more details.[/p][p]Now I’m not the first person to run a marathon and I certainly won’t be the last, but I do feel rather special to have been chosen to run for this fantastic charity. Losing a baby is something you never get over no matter how many years pass.[/p][p]Through Virgin Money Giving, you can sponsor me and donations will be quickly processed and passed to Tommy’s charity. Virgin Money Giving is a not for profit organisation and will claim gift aid on a charity's behalf where the donor is eligible for this. [/p][p]I really appreciate all your support and thank you for any donations, no matter how small.[/p][p]Txx[/p][p][br][/p][p][br][/p]