Running man from Sheffield to raise vital funds for hospital that saved his wife’s life

Mark Knight, 34, is taking part in the Sheffield Half Marathon on April 14, to raise funds for the Jessop Wing, after his wife, Liz, 32, lost six litres of blood following an emergency caesarean section while giving birth to daughter, Alice, in April last year.

Mark hopes to raise £500 for the maternity hospital, to not only say thank you for saving Liz’s life, but for the staff for helping him with Alice while Liz was in recovery.

He said: “Liz had a very healthy pregnancy; there was no sign of what was to come.

“Her labour was long and painful and then completely stopped. She was put on a drip to progress the labour, but Alice was being quite stubborn and was positioned back to back, and even with the help of forceps she wouldn’t turn. At this point Liz was taken for an emergency caesarean section.

“Alice was fashionably late at 40 weeks and five days and weighed a healthy 8lbs 4oz. She was perfect right from the start, but Liz suffered life-threatening complications.

“She had suffered a haemorrhage and was bleeding internally. She was rushed back into emergency surgery, where it was discovered that she’d lost almost six litres of blood.

“It was a terrifying experience but at the same time I was confident she was in the best possible hands and I was kept up to date throughout.

“Liz spent the night in intensive care and woke up the next morning to the news of what had happened. It was a long recovery for her.

“All the staff  – from Liz going into labour right up until she was finally discharged, were incredible. We were really well looked after as a family. It was the small things that made a big difference, such as our midwife and many other staff taking time out of their busy day regularly to come and check in on us.”