The Tom's Talks Podcast is a place where we speak to a vast array of people from different walks of life and find out what makes them them. We will speak about their unique journey and delve into the highs and the lows which ultimately define them.
⚠️ This episode discusses child loss and suicidal thoughts. If you're struggling, Samaritans are available 24/7 on 116 123.
Hugh was born on his dad's first wedding anniversary. He had the bluest eyes, the blondest hair, and a personality to match. Two weeks after his sixth birthday, he died - after a ten-month battle with a rare form of cancer that took hold in the middle of a Covid lockdown, while the family hid the diagnosis from almost everyone they knew.
Six days before Hugh passed away, he made his dad promise something: "Go run it, daddy. Go get the medal." Ceri kept that promise - running the London Marathon days after burying his son, crying for five and a half of the six hours, then placing the medal around Hugh's neck at the funeral home himself.
In this episode, Ceri sits down with Tom for one of the most raw, unflinching conversations this podcast has ever had - about watching a child fight cancer with more bravery than most adults could summon, the total absence of support for parents in that situation, and how he turned devastating grief into a campaign that's already changing UK employment law.
What we get into:
The moment a routine "tummy ache" became a cancer diagnosis, and the surreal 3am phone call that started it all Life on a children's cancer ward - the bravery, the "beads of courage," and why Hugh accumulated over 2,400 of them Why the physical treatment isn't the hardest part - it's the complete lack of support given to parents while their child is dying The promise made six days before Hugh passed, and running the London Marathon with his son's shoes tied around his neck Burying Hugh with the marathon medal - and what "turning pain into purpose" actually means when you live it Founding the charity "It's Never You" - and the specific ways it supports parents financially and emotionally, including 48-hour crisis counselling Hugh's Law: the campaign to give parents of seriously ill children the legal right to be at their bedside - and why it currently doesn't exist for children over one year old The businesses (including Premier League football clubs) already backing the campaign, and what's blocking it from becoming law Why nearly 50% of couples who lose a child split up - and how Ceri and his wife stayed together The disclosure most parents are afraid to say out loud: is it selfish to ask for help when your child is the one who's sick? What he wishes he'd known in Hugh's final two weeks, and the one thing - Legoland - he still regrets not doing Giving up drinking, going to trauma therapy, and the small, physical tools he still uses to manage PTSD years later What a "good life" means to him now, and the advice he gives every grieving parent who reaches out
Plus Tom on losing his brother Liam, the words he still regrets, and why he believes life happens for you, not to you.
This conversation will stay with you. Whether you've experienced loss, know someone going through it, or just need to hear from someone who found a way through the unthinkable — this is essential listening.
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