A Brecon grandfather is running the London Marathon for Bliss, the premature and sick baby charity that supported his family when his daughter in law gave birth to twins prematurely, one of whom sadly passed away.
Mike Smith’s daughter-in-law Hollie gave birth to her twins, Zain and Jasmine, at just 24 weeks gestation. They were both critically ill, and while Jasmine pulled through, Zain lost his fight and died at just three weeks old.
Jasmine had to be cared for in hospital for seven months, during which time she suffered a brain hemorrhage and had several blood transfusions. She came home on oxygen support, which she was off by Christmas 2011, and is now a happy, healthy five-year-old.
Bliss was there to support Mike’s family from the moment the twins were born. The charity works for every baby born premature or sick to have the best chance of survival and quality of life.
Mike, 52, is juggling training for the marathon with working as a site manager for D.T. Contracting South West Ltd and caring full time for his wife, who has Multiple Sclerosis. He said: “Life can throw up all sorts of challenges as we go along, but we have to carry on. I have always enjoyed running, so running the marathon for Bliss was a bit of a no brainer after all the support my family received. I’ve lost around a stone since starting training, which considering I have type 2 diabetes, has made my dietician very happy.”
Chief executive of Bliss, Caroline Davey, said: “I wish Mike the best of luck taking on this incredible challenge for Bliss. He is part of a team of dedicated runners who are raising money and awareness for premature and sick babies. The vital funds they raise will help us improve the lives of babies throughout the UK.”
If you would like to sponsor Mike, you can visit his online fundraising page, where Jasmine explains why you should support her ‘superhero’ grandad: https://www.justgiving.com/Holliemikesmith11/