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Baby Flynn underwent surgery for a serious bowel defect at Sheffield Children\u2019s Hospital (Image: Dom Smith)<\/p>\nParents Dom and Tess with baby Flynn (Image: Dom Smith) <\/p>\n
When Dom Smith\u2019s son Flynn was born earlier this year, he and his partner Tess found themselves thrown into a world no parent ever expects to enter. Flynn was born with a severe birth defect in his bowel. Just moments after his arrival, he was transferred to Sheffield Children\u2019s Hospital where he underwent life-saving surgery and spent more than a week in the neonatal surgical unit.<\/p>\n
While Flynn was receiving urgent care, Dom and Tess were supported by\u00a0The Sick Children\u2019s Trust, the charity that gives families with a seriously ill child a free place to stay, just minutes from the hospital. Their ‘Homes from Home’ provide emotional and practical support when families need it most.<\/p>\n
Now, Dom is running 100 miles in June as part of the charity\u2019s nationwide\u00a0Home to Home Challenge, which encourages people to raise money through sponsored walks, runs, swims or cycles in support of its ten \u2018Homes from Home\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cFlynn\u2019s arrival didn\u2019t go the way we\u2019d hoped,\u201d said Dom. \u201cHe needed emergency surgery, and we suddenly found ourselves in this scary, uncertain situation. <\/p>\n
\u201cMagnolia House, The Sick Children\u2019s Trust\u2019s \u2018Home from Home\u2019 at Sheffield Children\u2019s Hospital, became our base and our sanctuary. It meant we could be right by his side through it all. We\u2019ll never forget that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baby Flynn underwent surgery for a serious bowel defect at Sheffield Children\u2019s Hospital (Image: Dom Smith)<\/p>\n
Dom and Tess stayed at Magnolia House for eight days while Flynn recovered from surgery. Although they live in Sheffield, staying close by made all the difference.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven with the hospital on our doorstep, commuting every day while trying to process everything would\u2019ve been exhausting – emotionally and physically. Magnolia House gave us peace of mind. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt meant we could be with Flynn every step of the way. Without it, we\u2019d have felt helpless and disconnected. No parent should feel that way when their baby is fighting for their life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Sick Children\u2019s Trust has supported more than 80,000 families since it began in 1982, and it costs the charity \u00a340 to support a family for one night. Families are never asked to pay, and the charity relies entirely on voluntary donations to fund its vital service.<\/p>\n
To say thank you, Dom is aiming to raise \u00a32,000 – or \u00a320 for each of the 100 miles he\u2019s set to run during June. As part of the challenge, he\u2019s also added a 20km trail race \u2014 the Round Sheffield Run \u2014 to his schedule later this month.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/JS373520027-2.jpg\")
Dom is running 100 miles in June as part of the Home to Home challenge, raising vital funds for The Sick Children\u2019s Trust (Image: Dom Smith)<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely been a challenge! Balancing work, home life, and caring for Flynn while running every day hasn\u2019t been easy,\u201d Dom said. \u201cBut the motivation comes naturally when I think about the reason behind it. Most of the runs have been solo but some friends have joined me too, and that support means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t Dom\u2019s first challenge. Last year, he ran 5km every day in March to raise money for Sheffield\u2019s Weston Park Cancer Charity following the loss of a close friend. Similarly, his challenge for The Sick Children\u2019s Trust has a deep personal significance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Sick Children\u2019s Trust gave us so much. Their support during Flynn\u2019s stay made such a difference and I want to help ensure other families get the same. Sharing our story and doing this challenge feels like a small way to give something back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flynn, now five months old, is doing well; full of energy, smiles, and his trademark infectious laugh. Though his journey isn\u2019t over \u2014 he will need two more surgeries in the next year \u2014 his progress continues to bring joy to his family.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe amazes us every single day,\u201d Dom added. \u201cHe\u2019s just welcomed a little cousin into the family and already seems to be loving his new role as the older cousin!\u201d<\/p>\n
Dom is also keen to thank the team who cared for Flynn during those early days. \u201cThe staff in the neonatal surgical unit at Sheffield Children\u2019s Hospital were absolutely incredible. We\u2019re so grateful to them, and to everyone who supports The Sick Children\u2019s Trust. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t realise how vital their \u2018Homes from Home\u2019 are until you need them. If this challenge helps just one more family like ours, then it\u2019s more than worth it.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you \u2018d like to donate to Dom\u2019s challenge, click here<\/a>. To learn more about The Sick Children\u2019s Trust, click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n Location: Sheffield<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Parents Dom and Tess with baby Flynn (Image: Dom Smith) When Dom Smith\u2019s son Flynn was born earlier…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":213358,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8817],"tags":[748,393,4884,12893,1620,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-213357","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sheffield","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-england","10":"tag-great-britain","11":"tag-inyourarea-community","12":"tag-sheffield","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114744491047030059","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213357","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=213357"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/213357\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/213358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=213357"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=213357"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=213357"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}