MONEY UPDATE!!!!!!!!
More things have been bought with the funds that you have all kindly help us to raise. A 2 seater sofa bed has been purchased for the bereavement suite to allow dads a comfortable place to rest and 4 sonicaid doppler monitors for mobile monitoring of mothers have been ordered. We are in the process of seeing about purchasing a cold cot (£2000) which will enable grieving parents to spend more time with their child following a neonatal death or stillbirth.
It is with great sincerity that Matt, Maddie and I thank-you for helping to support such a worthy cause. We know that what you have helped us to achieve will make a huge difference.
All our love,
Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you
Update 5:
Matt finished his race and ended up not just taking 1/2 off of his time, but over an hour. He spent most of the day riding with some of the pros and showing what he was made of. He came 39th out over 900 finishers and 9th in his age group. Well done!
He had an amazing day and we were so proud of him. Thanks for your kind donations.
COMING UP!!!
Ironman 70.3 Wimbleballl
1.2 mile Swim - 56 mile Bike - 13.1 mile run
Matt is undertaking one of UK's most challenging Half Ironman courses and hopes to improve his time by at least half an hour. Please help show your support and encouragement and donate to our cause. How can you turn down such a little cutie (That's Maddie, not Matt ;-))
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Update 4:
April 17, 2010 Miles for Maddie Fitness Funraiser TAKE 2 DONE
2.5 hours of 80's fun! What a great time and like last time a very sucessful event! We raised another £800 pounds which will help us to buy some portable heartrate dopplers for midwives to use around the community to help put expectant parents at ease, especially after experiencing previous still births. Thanks guys. Who know, we may have another one of these soon.
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Update 3 Marathon Madness November 28, 2009 DONE!! (See Pictures above)
60 mile treadmill run?? I didn't think it was possible, but after an early start of getting up at 2:45 and getting the treadmill fired up at 5:30, Matt and Jim carried out their trek. Through out the day the support was ABSOLUTELY AMAZING and we couldn't have asked for more. Many members decided to join in for part of the run and a total of nearly 300 miles of running were ran over a 12 hours and 45 minute period. On the day we raised over £1100 pounds. Thank-you to every one who ran, donated and especially to "the triathlon coach" for supplying nutrition and other little goodies to keep Matt and Jim going! I know Madison was really proud. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!
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Update 2: (more pictures above)
Challenge number 2.....Done and Dusted
Another fundraising challenge under our belts and what a fun one it was. Thanks to all of you who attended our "Miles for Maddie" Fun Fitness Challenge. It looked as though you all had fun, even though there were some complaints about being sore the next day. Matt and I are both really pleased at the success of the event, hard to say at the moment, but I think the event raised over £750. Thanks again to all who participated, donated and those who got sponsored. Can't wait for the next one ;-)
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UPDATE: (Check out some of our pictures above)
We did it!! A few cuts, bruises and sore muscles later, the 150 mile cycle challenge is now complete. It was lovely to see some of the stunning beauty that Surrey has to offer, particularly at the top of some of those NASTY steep hills. Over the 3 days a total of 20-25 riders took part. With such a big presence, the ride seemed to be very successful raising awareness for SANDS. (Stillbirth And Neonatal Death Charity) SANDS plays a big role in supporting families who have been affected by infant loss and they have been working very closely with our charity "FRIENDS OF MAYDAY" to better support other parents who may unfortunately be faced with the loss of their infant. Thanks for your support and encouragement.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- OUR STORY:
As many of you are aware, on August 5, 2009, My husband and I had a beautiful baby girl, Madison McKenzie Lawrence. Unfortunately, a few days before we were told by the Doctors that they could not detect a heartbeat. She was definitely given her angel wings far too early. The day Madison was born, she lay in our arms so peacefully. We couldn’t help but study her full head of really thick, dark hair, ruby red lips, her daddy’s eyes and definitely her mummy’s nose. Even though she was so small and fragile (3 pounds 3 ounces) she changed our lives and the lives of many others, in a way we couldn’t even begin to explain. We got to spend the next several hours cherishing every second we had with her, before we had to goodbye.
We can honestly say that despite the terrible sadness, having Madison was the happiest day of our life. However, what made it very tough for us was being in the same ward as healthy screaming newborns, flowers and balloons to mark their arrival and being surrounded by excited parents, especially when we had to leave our precious little angel behind. It truly was a heart wrenching experience. We would never wish this pain on anyone and with that, it is our intention to try and ease the pain of other parents faced with a similar situation to us.Matt and I would really like to start a fund, in Madison’s name, to help maintain the upkeep of a bereavement room at Mayday hospital, through the “Friends of Mayday” charity. This hopefully would mean a room away from the hustle and bustle of a busy labour ward, and a quiet, comfortable place to spend time as a family. It breaks our heart to know that we can’t change what happened to us or what may happen to other parents, but our hope is with any kind of donation, big or small we can somewhat ease the pain of parents and their families during an incredibly difficult time such as this.
Being through this situation has made us realise that STILLBORNS are much more common than we may think. I suppose it is just something people prefer not to talk about. I would bet all of you who read this, either know someone close to them, or a friend of a friend who have been through a situation like this.
17 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth every day in the UK.
One baby in every 200 is stillborn in the UK
In 50% of stillbirths the baby is normally formed and dies apparently for no reason; the majority of these deaths are in ‘low-risk' pregnancies
At the moment, we have already completed a few wild a crazy things r to raise money for this worthy cause:
1. October 15-17 Surrey Cycle Circuit ---------DONE AND DUSTED :-)
2. October 24th FUNDRAISING FITNESS
a 2.5-3 hour fun fitness class at my local gym 3. November 2009 Mammoth Marathon Madness Matt (not me ;-)) Plans to run 60 miles on the treadmill with some scheduled toilet breaks. Yikes!
4. April 17th, 2010 FUNDRAISING FITNESS TAKE 2
5. May 22nd, 2010 IRONMAN LANZAROTE
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now, every penny counts.
Thanks in advance,
Matt and Julie
