Charlotte Dyer and Patrick Jones thought their family was complete after the birth of their second son, Ruben in September 2021. However, this bliss was short-lived after Ruben was taken to hospital at three weeks old, suffering from what turned out to be dilated cardiomyopathy (a condition impacting the function of the heart). He got to enjoy three months with his family, before being admitted to the ICU again on 31 December. After a tireless fight, Ruben’s parents had to make a heart-wrenching decision – they said their final goodbyes to him on 12 January 2022.
Since losing Ruben, Charlotte and Patrick have focused their grief into fundraising for The Royal Brompton & Harefield Hospitals Charity, by setting up Ruben’s Fund. The couple aimed to raise £200,000 to support genetic cardiomyopathy research, so that other families might not find themselves in the same situation they had been in: leaving hospital without their baby.
They began fundraising in March 2021, and the Oxted community immediately embraced and supported their efforts. Local companies supported raffles, the Co-op ran a quiz and darts matches to raise money, and many other activities and events took place.
Charlotte has also run many other fundraisers, an accomplishment which saw her win the 2023 London Pride of Britain award, and last September Patrick completed a bike ride from London to San Sebastian in Spain. In June 2024, Ruben’s Fund reached £200,000 – an incredible feat in such a short space of time.
It has been a journey of grief and personal discovery for them both, says Charlotte.
“When we set up this fundraiser, I imagined it would take us a lifetime to achieve our total, the lifetime I didn’t get to spend with Ruben. But with a lot of determination and bucket loads of support, we have achieved something great in just over two years!”
With 1 in 250 people being impacted by cardiomyopathy, this research will hopefully mitigate so many unknowns still associated with the disease.
We’d like to congratulate Charlotte and Patrick on their amazing achievement. If you are able to support their fundraiser, you can do it here. Alternatively, scan the QR code below.
