A father of a baby boy who passed away at nearly seven weeks old hopes to raise money for a charity which provided him and his family a place to stay in Bristol.

In August, Lee Martin will be taking part in a half marathon in memory of his son Ray and to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House in Bristol. 

Lee and his wife Steph who live in Porthleven discovered at their 20-week scan that Ray had a heart condition and would need to be transferred to Bristol soon after his birth.

Falmouth Packet: Ronald McDonald House in Bristol, where Lee and his family stayed whilst son Ray was in hospital Ronald McDonald House in Bristol, where Lee and his family stayed whilst son Ray was in hospital (Image: Google Maps)When Steph went into labour during a family meal at the Maytree in Helston, they managed to make it to Royal Cornwall Hospital and Ray was born moments later. Three hours later Ray was transferred to Bristol Children’s Hospital.  

Lee told the Packet: “Ray needed to gain a certain amount of weight for a stent to be put in his heart. He put on weight and had the operation.

“Unfortunately, he lost a lot of blood after surgery and was put on machines to help with his breathing, but he didn’t react well when they tried to take him off and came up with a horrible rash and was placed on emergency medication.

“Eventually it did clear up, but then another rash appeared. This time, the doctors said that Ray had HLH - an incredibly rare disease that affects one in five million.”

Sadly, Ray died just six weeks and six days after he arrived in Bristol.

To honour the memory of his baby boy, Lee will be taking part in a half marathon in August this year to raise funds towards the Ronald McDonald House. He has now set up a Crowdfunder and hopes to raise £1,000 and more. Donations have now reached more than £800. You can view the Crowdfunder here. 

Lee told the Packet: “Whilst we were in Bristol, we met a lot of families whose children have been in the hospital for many years. We also met other parents who were from Cornwall.

“The impact of having a child in neonatal can cause stress and strain for everyone, so having Ronald McDonald’s nearby to provide support and somewhere to stay is just incredible.

“Unfortunately, there are many people just beginning on the journey of long hospital stays with poorly children and those that have endured this for a long time.

"Ronald McDonald House needs all the support it can get to continue to provide housing and support to families during their time of need.”