Emily Eaton

I’m running Manchester Marathon in the fight for breath!

I am raising money for Asthma + Lung UK, a charity that means so much to me and my family after witnessing first-hand just how devastating respiratory illnesses can be, especially in young children.

Over the past two and a half years, our son has been admitted to hospital more than 15 times and has had over 30 visits to A&E due to respiratory illnesses, including viral-induced wheeze, pneumonia, bronchiolitis and RSV.

As a parent, there is nothing more heartbreaking than watching your child struggle to breathe. The fear, helplessness and uncertainty of not knowing whether another cold or virus will result in yet another hospital admission is something that has become an unfortunate part of our everyday lives.

Our son’s respiratory struggles have affected every aspect of our family life:

● Emotionally: The constant worry, sleepless nights, anxiety and fear of what might happen next have taken an enormous toll on us. Watching our little boy endure repeated hospital stays, treatments and procedures is something no parent ever wants to experience.

● Financially: The impact of unexpected hospital admissions, time away from work, loss of earnings, travelling to and from hospital, parking costs and additional expenses has placed significant financial pressure on our family.

● Socially: We’ve missed family occasions, cancelled plans, struggled to maintain routines and often had to limit activities through fear of our son becoming unwell. The unpredictability of his health makes even the simplest family outings difficult to plan.

● Physically: The exhaustion of sleepless nights, hospital stays, juggling family responsibilities and caring for an unwell child has been overwhelming at times. It is a constant cycle of worry, recovery and hoping that the next illness won’t lead us back to hospital.

Despite everything, our little boy continues to show incredible strength and resilience, and we couldn’t be prouder of him.

Unless you’ve experienced it, it’s difficult to explain the feeling of sitting beside your child’s hospital bed, listening to monitors, watching their breathing and wishing you could take their place.

This is why I want to turn our family’s experience into something positive. On the 18th April 2027 I will be running the Manchester Marathon in aid of Asthma and Lung UK

My goal is to raise a minimum of £500 to help support the vital work they do for people living with asthma and other lung conditions, fund important research and provide information and support to families like ours.

Every child deserves to breathe freely, enjoy their childhood and live without the constant fear of their next hospital visit. Every parent deserves to feel supported when navigating the challenges of having a child with respiratory difficulties.

Whether you can donate £1, £5, £10 or simply share our fundraising page, every contribution will mean the absolute world to us.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for supporting our family, helping us raise awareness and contributing towards a cause that is so incredibly personal to us.

Our target is £500, but we’d love to smash it! 💜🧡

Together, let’s help make every breath count.

#AsthmaAndLungUK #EveryBreathCounts #Fundraising #LungHealth