On the 24^th July 2010 I and a growing group of wonderful people will be doing the Yorkshire Three Peak Challenge to commemorate my beautiful, tiny nephew Angelo Henry Bagnall and to raise money for ARC.

The Yorkshire Three Peaks Walk is a very demanding but rewarding walk, which takes in the summits of (694 metres - 2,276 feet), Whernside (736 metres - 2,415 feet) and Ingleborough (723 metres  2,372 feet) all to be completed within 12 hours.

The charity we will be raising money for is ARC who have been an invaluable support to my beautiful sister Kate and her wonderful husband Anthony who this year have had their lives torn apart as they lost their much loved baby boy Angelo. I’ve felt totally helpless through this heartbreaking time so by doing this walk I will be supporting both them and their chosen charity in a very practical way. It’s extremely distressing to see the people you love going through such an unfair and traumatic time and I would have done anything to take their pain for them.

This is my sister’s story, in her words,

‘On the 23rd of February 2010 Anthony and I visited the hospital for our baby's 20 week anatomy scan. We waited, excited to see our baby for the second time. When it came to his head, it seemed to be taking a long time. Then, the words I will never forget.....'There seems to be an abnormality with your baby's brain'. It was then that our lives fell apart. Our much loved, desperately wanted baby was ill. How could this be? He was so active; there had been no signs of anything being wrong. What had we done wrong? 

We were quickly referred the following day to a specialist foetal unit at a different hospital. It was at this stage we were told of the severity of the problem. Angleo had serious problems with his brain formation along with hydrocephalus. This information, along with further MRI results presented us with a decision no parent wants to make.

The idea of ending my baby boy's life was too hard to bear, how could I do that to someone I loved so much? The only thing that both Anthony and I were sure of was that we could not have him suffer and if he came in to this world that was a certainty. 

I actually found the charity ARC (Antenatal Results and Choices) by chance on the internet and I am so pleased I did. They offer balanced, caring and informative support to parents in similar situations to us. They are focussed on raising awareness and providing training to midwives and those within the health care profession who have to deal with this difficult subject. I was given the numbers for other parents who had been through similar experiences and speaking to them has been of enormous comfort. 

On the 24th of July 2010, we will be walking the 25 miles in one day in memory of our little boy, Angelo Henry who was born asleep on the 12th march 2010.’

Unfortunately for Kate and Ant, the information and support they so desperately needed wasn’t provided at the hospital so they had to search for it themselves. By raising money for ARC they will be able to reach many more mothers and fathers to help them in their hour of need.

I know that times are hard at the moment so please donate whatever you can afford, no matter how small. Everything is hugely appreciated.

Thank you in advance. xx

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