A Gladiators star has announced a fundraising challenge in honour of his son who was born prematurely and died just 13 days old.
Steel, whose real name is Zack George, shared a heartbreaking insight earlier this year into his baby’s premature birth at 23 weeks old.
Posting on social media in April, the 35-year-old shared an image of himself and his wife Samantha in tears as they held their baby Leo inside the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
The BBC star explained how Leo had three blood transfusions, collapsed lungs, a grade one and two bleed on his brain and a hole in his heart.
Commenting underneath the post, he said he ‘wishes he could have done more’ to help him.
Now, however, George has launched a fitness fundraiser called the ’13 Days Fighting’ Burpee Challenge to help raise money for other families enduring similar heartache.
In response to the extraordinary care George and his wife received, the couple founded Leo & Friends, a baby loss awareness charity that aims to recognise and equip the NICU teams who work tirelessly to care for premature and critically ill babies.
This new challenge will see George complete a mile of burpees every day for 13 consecutive days, from 18th to 30th August this year, across an array of different locations across the UK.
In a statement, George and his wife said: ‘Leo fought with everything he had for 13 days. This challenge is our way of turning that pain into purpose – to give Leo a lasting legacy and help other families who find themselves where we once stood.’
As George shared the news of his tragedy in April, he wrote on Instagram: ‘Your mummy brought you into this world and your daddy held you as you left ♥️
‘Leo…… you showed us what the true definition of strength is and we are so proud of you.
‘You brought so much positivity to the world with the short time you were with us and we felt that positivity in abundance, we thank you all so much for that.
‘Although you were only with us for a short time, you brought us a lifetime of love. Thank you for letting us know that YOU had had enough of this fight. We will forever be grateful that we didn’t have to make that decision for you 💔
‘Leo our lion, we love you more than you will ever know
‘Rest easy our little boy.’
Supported by Currys, the funds raised from his challenge will go towards equipment, support services, and improvements to the NICU at Leicester Hospital, who gave Leo his 13 precious days and cared for him around the clock.
For more information about the challenge, how to get involved or to donate visit https://www.leoandfriends.co.uk/
Sands UK charity
Sands UK is a stillbirth and neonatal death charity, which works to reduce the number of babies dying and to ensure that those affected by the loss of a baby receives the best possible care for as long as they need it.
The charity aims to better understand the causes of baby deaths and works with governments and other organisations to raise awareness of issues surrounding baby loss.
Sands provides bereavement support at a local and national level.
Please visit the Sands UK website for more information and contact details.