01732 452404
ForEliteAtheletes to FunRunners
39
As new parents she never failed to amaze us with her
quirky words and lovable personality. We adored being
parents & so decided to add to our family with child
no. 2 expected in March 1998.
However, on Christmas Eve whilst getting ready for
the festive break, Natalie unexpectedly went into
labour and Neve was born on the 24th December
weighing just 2lbs. Although she was alive, at only 27
weeks, her lungs just weren’t strong enough and so
she only managed to live for half an hour. We were
left devastated & shell-shocked! Despite the tragedy
of losing Neve, not long after, we found out we were
expecting again. This time our pregnancy was closely
monitored and on the 16th October 1999, our third
child Milo was born. We had been blessed with a
gorgeous little boy and we adored every moment we
had with him & Olivia whole heartedly. Little did we all
know how precious our time with Milo would be!
In December 2005 our amazing son Milo
suddenly died aged just six from a very
rare giant inter-cranial brain aneurysm.
He was in hospital for a week and in
that time was a courageous boy, not
really understanding what exactly was
wrong or why he was so ill. However,
despite efforts to treat Milo’s condition
he tragically passed away on the 2nd
December after a brave 24hr battle in
intensive care.
Milo was an absolutely fantastic little boy & without
sounding too clichéd “all you’d wish for in a son”. He
was extremely thoughtful & loved helping children in
his class at school – he was much more advanced
than his age suggests. Not only was he very funny
& popular but he also loved being with people of all
ages & whilst in hospital was the life & soul of the
children’s ward, in spite of being the most poorly.
Losing Milo has changed our lives forever. Despite
the time that has passed since he has gone there is
still a massive gaping hole in our lives that will never
be filled with the enormous joy and love that Milo
gave us in his very short life.
Team Milo began in 2006, not long after Milo’s
funeral. Instead of flowers we asked people to make
a donation to a charity in his name and we were so
overwhelmed with the response. We knew Milo loved
helping people and so we decided to start Team
Milo in his memory. Our aim was initially to do one
challenge & raise as much money as we could for
a local charity, The Children’s Trust which helped
children with brain injuries.
Our very first taste of “testing the limits” was “The
Trans Rockies” a 350 mile, 7 day multi-stage
mountain bike race over the Rocky Mountains,
starting in Panorama & ending in Fernie. It was
known as one of the toughest mountain bike races
which took on the awesome terrain of The Canadian
Mountains. We were so moved with the support &
donations that we received from friends,
family, strangers & even celebrities, who
were all touched by Milo’s story, that we
decided to continue taking on challenges
in his name. Together with their help we
raised tens of thousands of pounds for
charity.
Team Milo to date has competed in
numerous different challenges from
The London Marathon (various times),
the “Trans Alps” & “Trans Wales” MTB
multi-day races, Swimathons, & countless OCRs just
to name a few. One of our biggest events was back
in 2010 when we decided to tackle the immensely
grueling & demanding “South Downs Way Double” –
a 200 mile, off road mountain bike challenge which
involved riding from Eastbourne to Winchester and
then back again all within 24hrs. Team Milo has now
proudly gone down in history for not only finishing in
23hr & 4mins but for being only the 9th person to
have succeeded in such an ambitious & punishing
task.
continued...
Whilst Milo was
in hospital he
was the life
& soul of the
children’s ward,
in spite of being
the most poorly
For those who follow our Facebook
page, you may remember me
mentioning this guy on there.
He caught my eye and once I heard
his story and what drives him to do
what he does, I just knew I wanted
to share it with you all.
Team Milo –
What’s it all about?
Our family began with the birth of our eldest daughter Olivia back in June 1995…
INTERVIEW: TEAM MILO
by Antony Gray, Team MILO
