Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am fundraising for ‘Petals’. ‘Petals’ provides specialised counselling for parents suffering trauma or loss during pregnancy and birth. One of their counsellors, Kim, supported my wonderful friend when she lost her baby boy.

Sarah was 36 weeks pregnant when her waters broke. She was on her way to work and when she arrived she started to bleed very heavily. She was taken by ambulance to the John Radcliffe Hospital where Tate was delivered by Caesarean section. She had experienced a condition called Vasa Praevia, an obstetric condition that often results in the death of an otherwise healthy baby. Tate was cared for in the intensive care unit and died when he was five days old. Just writing this brings tears to my eyes. I witnessed the utter shock and devastation of Tate’s parents who had to go through the most unimaginable pain and grief.

Counselling was not a magic bullet, it couldn’t change what had happened but it helped. It made a difference over the long term and helped Sarah find a way to deal with this trauma. Kim supported Sarah for over a year and well into her pregnancy with Chester, her second son who was born in April 2017, 18 months after his big brother passed away.

So I’m running for Sarah, Andy, Tate and Chester and to help more parents access this vital service should the worst happen to them.

I am also fundraising for SSNAP, the charity that supports the special care baby unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital, where Tate was born. Sarah has asked me to fundraise for both charities. Please see my other fundraising page to learn more about SSNAP and read Claire’s story.

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