3 weeks Ago
A father is preparing to run ten marathons in ten days wearing a 10kg vest in memory of his baby daughter. Pete Grimwade, from Uckfield, is taking on the challenge to honour his daughter, Isabella, who died at ten weeks old in September 2023 from a cardiac arrest. Pete Grimwade takes on challenge wearing 10kg vest to symbolise grief (Image: Peter Grimwade/PA Wire) The progressions manager at an IT firm will start his consecutive marathons in Lewes on Friday and finish with the London Marathon on April 27.
The 34-year-old is raising money for ten charities that supported him and his wife, Charlotte, during their daughter's short life. Isabella was born with complex conditions and died from cardiac arrest at 10 weeks (Image: Peter Grimwade/PA Wire) Mr Grimwade said the challenge has given him a "new sense of purpose" after he attempted suicide months after Isabella's death. He told the PA news agency: "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. "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.
" Grimwade’s journey spans Sussex and Kent, starting April 19 in Lewes (Image: Peter Grimwade/PA Wire) He will wear a 10kg vest 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), 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.
Funds support BHF, Evelina Hospital, CLAPA, Goldenhar UK, and more (Image: Peter Grimwade/PA Wire) One of the charities Mr Grimwade is supporting is the British Heart Foundation (BHF), which 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 County Hospital in Brighton 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 ten marathons across Sussex and Kent, and will begin in Lewes, 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," he said. "There’s always hope of something else or something more.
"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: https://www.
10mchallenge.co.uk/ To donate to his fundraiser, you can visit: https://edge.
justgiving.com/crowdfunding/pete-grimwade.
