NewsLFC Women staff member running London Marathon for cause close to heart

Chris' eldest daughter Isla, who is two-and-a-half, suffers from Angelman Syndrome, a rare genetic abnormality that affects the nervous system.

"They say dreams don't always come true – but two-and-a-half years ago, ours did," explained Chris, who has been part of the Reds' backroom staff since 2021.

"After many years of IVF, Isla came along, and we couldn't be happier watching her grow and develop. However, when Isla was around nine months old, we began to notice she was falling behind her peers — not crawling or even babbling. At 14 months, she was diagnosed with this rare genetic condition.

"Since then, it has been incredible to watch Isla's development as she continues to overcome the many challenges associated with her condition, while also being an incredible big sister.

"Like so many families living with this rare disorder, we are raising our beautiful girl without knowing exactly what the future may hold but Isla will have difficulties with walking and speaking."

Chris is now preparing to tackle the London Marathon on Sunday April 26 to help raise awareness of the condition and funds for the charity.

"By running the London Marathon and raising funds and awareness for Angelman Syndrome UK, we hope that families who receive this diagnosis in the future won't feel as lost or in the dark as we once did," he said.

"Every year we get to go to a Christmas party with Angelman and we get to see the array of people who have the disability. You have people who are unable to walk or talk all the way up to people who can, so that's the diversity of the condition. It's good to get people to understand a little bit more about it and hopefully I can raise awareness and funds at the same time.

"Although our journey looks very different from what we imagined, watching Isla face every obstacle with determination — and that unforgettable smile — gives us hope. We're so grateful to everyone who supports her, and to everyone who supports this cause."

Chris will be the third member of the LFC Women backroom staff to run the London Marathon in recent years, following in the footsteps of strength and conditioning coach Colm Smith and lead performance analyst Jordan Kevan.

He added: "The training started well and then hit a bit of a roadblock as I probably started too fast but then I spoke to our nutritionist Nathan Hobday about having a few weeks off running. It's better now and I'm building myself up with just under three months to go.

"Colm keeps telling me how good he is at running and then pulls his calf every other week, so I haven't been listening to him!

"A lot of people at the club know about Isla and I'm going to be putting some more information in the WhatsApp groups over the next couple of weeks and my plan is also to do a bit of baking and put a few cakes out at the AXA Melwood Training Centre in exchange for a donation!"

Supporters who would like to support Chris can donate via his fundraising page here.

To learn more about Angelman Syndrome, visit www.angelmanuk.org.