11 April 2024
Ben, a keen ultra-marathon runner and father to non-identical four-year-old twin girls Adaline and Florence is taking on the London Marathon for Twins Trust.
Ben’s wife Sara is on the committee of the southeast London Twins group, a supportive community for parents of multiples to connect with others and share their experiences.
It is at their local club, found via the Twins Trust website, that they have met other parents with twins that have experienced complications in pregnancy such as Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). Raising awareness of complications that can be associated with a multiple pregnancy is one of the reasons Ben is keen to take on the challenge for Twins Trust.
Ben said: “We have been lucky. We had a relatively straightforward pregnancy and birth, apart from Sara’s hyperemesis gravidarum and have not faced any significant challenges with the girls’ development”.
“However, we are aware this is not the case for every family and it is for this reason that I want to give back to and support my community, raising awareness about complications such as TTTS”.
Twin clubs can be a great source of support for parents with twins, triplets and more and this is another reason Ben has chosen to take on the challenge for Twins Trust.
Ben added: “The twin club is great for connecting with other parents who ‘just get it’. Whether it be sleep routines or getting out and about”.
Ben grew up taking part in sports and is keen to encourage the girls to be active. Their home in Canada Water is on the marathon route and he is hoping to inspire the girls as they cheer him on at mile 10.
Ben said: “It’s so important for the girls to see their mum and me enjoying sport as part of a healthy lifestyle. Not only is it beneficial to your mental and physical health, but it is great for socialising and teaching them key life skills such as leadership and teamwork”.
Ben’s family, friends and neighbours will all be supporting him on the day. If you would also like to support Ben, go to: Ben's Just Giving page.