A BEREAVED dad is taking on seven marathons in seven days in memory of his son.
Jack Taylor began his epic challenge on Sunday (December 1) and will is on track to complete it this weekend on December 7 to marks Oscar’s birthday to raise funds for the Lily Mae Foundation.
Jack and his wife’s ‘world fell apart’ in 2016 when they discovered Oscar had Patau’s Syndrome – a rare chromosomal issue – when Ellen was 30 weeks pregnant after tests revealed he had a cyst filling one of the ventricles in his brain, an extra digit on his hands and he would be most certainly blind.
Writing on his Just Giving page Jack said: “We knew our options and although it was the most horrific choice for us to make, we felt that we had to protect our son from anymore pain and suffering.
“We decided to let him go to sleep in mummy’s tummy. Where he was most comfortable.”
At 32 weeks, their beloved Oscar William Taylor was born sleeping on December 7, 2016.
Each year, as Oscar’s birthday approaches, Jack looks for ways to honour his memory and give back to The Lily Mae Foundation, who helped the Kenilworth couple after their loss.
In 2023, Jack ran seven miles every day throughout December to mark Oscar’s seventh birthday.
And this year, he’s raising the bar with seven marathons in seven days, a total of 183.4 miles.
Jack said: “I’ve been through a lot of dark and tough times since losing Oscar, but running has always helped me mentally, so this challenge just seemed perfect to me.
“I will be doing this to raise money for The Lily Mae Foundation, so they can continue to support and provide care for families affected by possibly the most difficult times of their lives! Providing memory boxes, one to one support, sibling support days, Rainbow baby groups, Pregnancy after loss support groups and much more.”
Jack has already smashed his fundraising target of £1,100.
Thanks to kind-hearted donors he has raised a whopping £1,872 for the Basall Common based charity and he hopes to raise even more.
The Lily Mae Foundation was founded by Amy and Ryan Jackson after the tragic loss of their baby girl, Lily Mae in 2010 at Solihull Hospital.
Since then the pair have campaigned to honour the memory of Lily Mae and all other babies born too poorly, too soon or sleeping.
For more or to donate visit Jack’s Just Giving page here.
