THE anguish of multiple miscarriages has prompted a Princetown woman to raise money for a charity which helped her cope with the ordeal.

Sam Griffiths, 37, has had to endure the physical and emotional trauma of going through ten recurrent miscarriages during the past eight years.

Despite her setbacks Sam is determined to raise more than £2,500 completing the 26-mile challenge in April next year for Tommy's, a national charity whose aim is to 'give babies the best chance of being born healthy'.

Sam, who lives in New London, Princetown, and is married to Royal Naval officer Griff, said: 'I had my first at 29 and was told it was very common so thought no more about it.

'I fell pregnant again and eight months later my daughter, Emily, was born, one month premature but healthy. She was all we wanted but being the youngest of five myself I always wanted Emily to have brothers and sisters.'

But two months into her next pregnancy, Sam lost the baby and was devastated.

'Because I had had a live birth, as it is medically known, between my pregnancies the doctors would not investigate until I had had three in a row, which is what then proceeded to happen.'

Sam was sent to a consultant in Plymouth but found that in the West Country funding is not available to study recurrent miscarriage in depth.

So she and Griff, 39, who is based at HMS Drake in Devonport, set to work. Prof Regan, who runs the Recurrent Miscarriages Clinic at St Mary's in London, agreed to see Sam but could only treat her as a private patient.

After many tests, Sam was diagnosed with a rare blood clotting disorder called Hughes Syndrome and one of its many side-effects is recurrent miscarriage.

'We were so pleased to finally have an answer so decided to have another try. I was to give myself blood thinning injections every day until the baby would be able to be born safely but once again, sadly, two months into the pregnancy I lost the baby again — this was to happen three more times until my husband and I decided enough was enough.'

'Eighteen months ago they looked into adoption and have now become parents again to a baby boy called Harry, aged one.

'As you can imagine this charity means so much to me. I feel it is so important to try and do as much as I can to help other women who suffer from this painful and distressing thing that is meant to be such a happy part of your life.  

'I was blessed with being able to experience childbirth once and now adoption. There are thousands of women who need help from charities like Tommy's.'

Sam has already raised £350 for Cancer Research after competing in a charity run at Plymouth last month and is now set to hit the road in preparation for the London Marathon.

If you would like to sponsor Sam you can do so through http://www.justgiving.com/samgriffiths4">www.justgiving.com/samgriffiths4