Ross's Story
On 23rd January, I signed up to complete the EPT1000 challenge which I aimed to finish with the Blackpool 10km having never run before. The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust is a wonderful charity and, by setting myself these targets, I wanted to raise as much money and awareness as possible. Nearly 4 months later on 14 May, I achieved both of these goals!
Last year, my fiancée Jess and I lost our baby through an ectopic pregnancy. As this was Jess’ second ectopic pregnancy, we are no longer able to conceive naturally and rely completely on IVF. Looking back, we already felt there was something wrong during the scan, and when the sonographer removed his gloves and turned the lights on, we knew. Jess was quickly rushed in to emergency surgery and they removed the Fallopian tube, and with it, our little family.
Since then we have been on a health drive to give ourselves the best possible chance of success during our IVF journey. Jess reignited her love of swimming and the gym going every morning, while I decided to take on these challenges. It’s safe to say that before this challenge I could barely run in a straight line, never mind any kind of distance. Call it determination or just stubbornness, I managed to increase the distance I could run week after week whether I liked it or not! By combining the two challenges, I needed to train to be able to run the 10km and through training I racked my miles for the EPT1000 Challenge, the two goals motivated themselves!
Most importantly though, I was never allowed to miss a day or our 2 year old Border Collie, Delta, would be on my case. Delta is definitely a harsh task master and even after our daily 5km walk before work, she would still demand to play catch through the day. Smudge on the other hand, who is our 13 year old Border Collie, much prefers her daily stroll around the block followed by breakfast!
On 14 May I finished the Blackpool 10km run in 52 minutes and 53 seconds as well as a total of 1,167kms travelled in that 4 month period. Throughout the challenge, we raised £1,085 for The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust and tried to raise as much awareness as we could.
It’s been amazing to feel the support from our friends and family throughout this journey – whether that’s been emotional, guidance or financial, every bit has contributed to this achievement and we’re incredibly grateful. Most of all though, none of this would have been possible without the support of Jess who I am so incredibly proud of every single day.
Ross has been fantastic spreading awareness everywhere he goes and via his social media platforms. He also managed to get their story in his works newsletter, which was a really great article reaching a large audience.
Thank you so much to Ross for being so incredible undertaking this challenge and raising crucial funds and awareness. Here is his fundraising page where you can read more about his story JustGiving page. If you feel inspired and want to raise funds and awareness for The Ectopic Pregnancy Trust, please visit our fundraising page. You can also email our fundraising co-ordinator who will be very happy to help and guide you Jill@ectopic.org.uk.