Most people who know me, know that I did not have the straightforward route to being a Mum that I had hoped for.  In 2005, I was 39 weeks pregnant with my first baby - the pregnancy had gone smoothly and all seemed well.  Then one day, I realised I had not felt my baby move much that day. I went to the hospital to be checked, fully expecting that he was just in an awkward position, or sleepy.  But after being checked and scanned, those 3 awful words - "I'm so sorry" - from the doctor changed our lives forever.

That was 12 years ago now, and it's been a really difficult, but at times very rewarding and fulfilling journey.  I realised early on that I needed to make Samuel's death count, and I needed to help other families experiencing the worst kind of grief.  In 2006, Life After Loss was born. This charity has been many things to many people, a lifeline to so many, not least myself.  

Today, Life After Loss has support groups in Northern Ireland and England. We provide our memory boxes and booklets to an ever increasing number of hospitals for newly bereaved parents.  We hold regular events for families to come along and spend time together doing something special (a balloon release, a walk, a butterfly release) in memory of their little ones.  We also sponsor and support other events and activities by other organisations supporting bereaved families.

We would desperately love to reach more people, in more areas, give them more - so desperate times call for desperate measures and a team of us have decided to jump out of a plane!  This has got to be worth some pennies - all donations are so so gratefully received, no matter how small :-)

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.