Father to run 10km for charity after twins' battle to survive

Josh Greavey’s children Quintin and Finnley were diagnosed with twin-to-twin transfusion while their mother was 18 weeks pregnant.

“I was completely unaware of the condition, it was horrifying,” said Josh, from Eastbourne.

“The doctors spoke to King’s College Hospital in London and said we needed to go there straight away.

“The hospital closed at five, but everyone stayed after their shift and waited until we got there.”

They soon found the pregnancy condition had caused the two infants to have an unequal share of the placenta, meaning one of them had more nutrients than he needed while the other had too few.

The pair were told to expect a miscarriage.

But the twins were born just seven weeks later through an emergency caesarean section at the Royal Sussex County Hospital after Elysia’s waters broke early.

This left her bed-bound for eight weeks.

As a result of their premature birth, Quintin weighed just 750g while Finnley weighed a mere 500g.

“They said they didn’t expect Quintin to make it, but they expected Finnley to” Josh said.

“But it was the other way around.”

Finnley passed away at the age of seven months, with doctors trying a huge variety of treatments and medications to save his life.

Medication

“He spent the majority of his life on drugs and medication,” Josh said.

“At the end he got a week with Quintin and my wife, without the medical machines.

“He died with dignity.”

Josh remembered Finnley as a fighter, saying doctors had been astounded at how he had continued to battle to survive even when the odds were stacked against him.

The 29-year-old support worker said: “He made quite an impression on everyone involved.

“He came out fighting for the first three months.

“Doctors said he had an amazing fighting spirit.

“He never knew when to give up.

“They were all so impressed that he made it as far as he did.

“I have one memory where I travelled at night, between two shifts, to see him.

“I got there at about 10pm and expected him to be paralysed, but he wasn’t.

“He turned to look at me and gave me a smile for the first time.

“It was a special moment.”

Quintin also faced a fight for survival from the minute he was born.

Josh remembered one occasion in which an operation had gone wrong and it looked as though his son would lose his arm as a result.

“That sort of thing just became part of your normal life,” he said.

But the brave infant has overcome every challenge he has faced.

He now lives with his parents and older sister Clementine, who is two-and-a-half years old.

Josh said: “Quintin (below) has done amazingly well.

“He came home on oxygen but tried to take it off himself because he didn’t like it.

“He has caught up in his development and is now 14 months old.

“He is slightly smaller than the average for a 14-month old.

“But he is now enjoying just living a normal life.”

Now, Josh is giving back to those who helped his sons in their fight for survival.

He is taking on a gruelling 10km running challenge to raise money for Rockinghorse Children’s Charity, which funds life-saving equipment, specialist projects and enhanced services for sick babies, children and young people throughout Sussex.

CLICK HERE>>>To visit the fundraising page and help Josh support Rockinghorse

“Without them my sons would not have lived,” Josh said.

“Not only do they cover Brighton, they help hospitals all over the county by providing everything from medical equipment to toys.

“They are just there for you.

“During the whole process (when he was balancing work and seeing his sons and wife in hospital) I gained a bit of weight and thought, ‘I need to get back in shape’.

“I saw that Rockinghorse were doing a fundraiser and thought it was destiny.”

He has been running five times a week in preparation for the event, which will see him traverse 10km of gruelling gradients near Beachy Head.

“I’ve run 10km a couple of times so am happy that I can do it, but this is one of the harder courses you can do,” he added.

“My friend warned me it’s a difficult one to start with.”

To donate to Joshua’s fundraiser, visit the “Joshua’s Beachy Head 10K Page” on JustGiving.com.