Leicester Hospitals Charity is proud to support Jordan Black, a father undertaking an extraordinary 108-mile run from Friday, 30 January to Saturday, 31 January.  Jordan will be retracing the journey his daughter Aurora took through three major hospitals during her short life.

Jordan, 37, will begin his challenge at Leicester Royal Infirmary at 12 pm, before running to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, then on to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and finally finishing at a memorial close to his home, just outside of Coventry. The route mirrors the path Aurora travelled as clinicians across the region worked tirelessly to diagnose and treat her rare abdominal tumour in late 2020.

At 38 weeks pregnant, Jordan’s wife Kathleen felt that something wasn’t quite right and went for tests. A scan revealed a mass on Aurora’s stomach, prompting urgent referrals to the foetal medicine team at Leicester Royal Infirmary.  Aurora was born on 24 November 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Both Jordan and Kathleen spent only moments with Aurora following her birth as she was rushed off to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to receive an MRI, ultrasound and X-rays.

Intensive investigations into what the mass was were conducted in Leicester and Nottingham. A biopsy revealed an extremely rare tumour: Intra-abdominal pericytoma. Aurora was transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital on Christmas Day as her condition worsened. Despite every effort, her condition deteriorated, and she passed away peacefully with her parents on 31 January 2021.

Jordan describes the run as an “emotional pilgrimage”, returning to the hospitals where his daughter was cared for. Running became a vital part of his healing process, helping him manage grief and protect his mental health. He now shares his journey openly through his Instagram page, It’s Why I Run, encouraging others, especially men, to speak honestly about trauma, loss, and wellbeing.

This year, Jordan felt ready to take on the full challenge in one continuous effort, having previously run the accumulated distance over a period of a month. Supported by friends, a running coach, and a growing online community, he hopes the run will raise awareness and vital funds for the NICU at Leicester Hospitals, the NICU at Queens Medical Centre, The Birmingham Children’s Hospital, The Lily Mae Foundation and Hallie’s Hideaway.

Jordan said: “This run is my way of honouring Aurora and retracing the journey she took in her short but meaningful life. It’s emotional, of course, but it’s also a reminder of the love, care and dedication shown by the teams who tried everything for her. Running has helped me through the darkest moments of grief, and if sharing my story can help even one other person feel less alone, then it’s worth every mile.”

Sunita Patel, Head of Charity at Leicester Hospitals Charity, said: “Jordan’s story is incredibly moving, and his strength in turning unimaginable loss into something that inspires and supports others is remarkable. We are honoured that he is choosing to begin this journey at Leicester Royal Infirmary, where Aurora’s story began and that our NICU department will receive a share of the fundraising to benefit other patients in a similar situation as Jordan and his family. Our team will be there to cheer him on, and we are deeply grateful for his commitment to helping other families and raising awareness about the wonderful work of our NHS.”

The Leicester Hospitals Charity team will be present at the start line with a small send-off to support Jordan as he begins the challenge.

Donations to Jordan’s fundraising can be made via his social media page, It’s Why I Run, where updates on the challenge will also be shared throughout the day or visit his fundraising page – https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/jordan-black-auroras-run