In May 2013 our beautiful son Rowan was stillborn after 22 weeks of pregnancy. He was the third of our children, and his older brother and sister were so excited about his due date in September. At his 20 week scan he cheekily wouldn’t turn the right way (despite lots of encouragement) to allow the sonographer to take all of his measurements. So we went back around a week later to see him again. This time he sat perfectly for us. 3 days later he passed away when his placenta partially separated from the uterus wall.

Over the years I’ve met too many people who have stories like ours. The only reason it doesn’t destroy me every time I hear a similar tale is due to the grieving process that Zoë and I went through. We spent time with Rowan after his birth - supported by fantastic midwives who were sensitive and compassionate. We laid him to rest in a serene native woodland burial site, recommended by a wonderful local green burial company who gave their time and space to us completely free. And we learnt how to grieve, how to inform family and friends, and how to involve Rowan’s older brother and sister from literature provided by Sands.

Sands (Stillborn and neonatal death charity) have been supporting families with the loss of their baby for 40 years. They look to break the silence around baby loss and call for improvements in care and support for anybody affected by the death of a baby. I am eternally grateful for the work they do, the literature they produce, and the support they provide to health professionals to improve the quality of care offered during pregnancy and in the event of a baby dying.

In June 2019 I will be cycling 107km (67 miles) around Dartmoor during the Dartmoor Classic. I’ve only recently got back into cycling and I love it. Except the hills. And there’s a lot of hills on Dartmoor. The route I’ll be taking climbs around 2000 metres of hills. This is going to be a huge challenge for me. One I’m not sure I’ll complete. If I do, it’ll take most of the day. And I’ll give it a bloody good go. Especially if people would be willing to donate to Sands in memory of my son, their child, or their loved ones’ child.

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.

Thanks
Matt

P.S. I’m going to try to keep a record of any donation matching. If you are able to get your donation matched, can you comment with #matched and I will update the offline donation. Thanks!