15 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth every day in the UK. 

On July 7th 2018 our little boy Otto was born sleeping. From that moment our lives were changed forever, he would never get the chance to see the world or meet his big brothers Lucas and Victor.  We feel incredibly grateful that we were able to cuddle him and spend some precious time with him and we will never ever forget him.

The days afterwards were the hardest we had ever experienced. In the midst of grieving, there were complicated and painful decisions to be made, some of which we hadn’t even considered as stillbirths are so rarely spoken about. The information available from Sands was amazing in providing us the detail and considerations we needed to make these difficult choices as well as providing ongoing support which has continued to help us through the difficult journey. 

When I heard that 15 babies are stillborn or die shortly after birth every day in the UK I was shocked at the number. Losing our little boy was the worst thing I could ever have imagined and it saddens me to think of the number of people that have to go through this everyday. 

As part of Sands 2019 #challenge15 I have decided to bike (off-road) 15 miles every day, for 15 consecutive days with 15 different people. That’s 225 miles for my little boy Otto and to help raise as much money as I can for Sands, to help them continue to support parents and families affected by the loss of a baby.  

I will be taking the challenge at the end of March - early April. 

It would be amazing if you could support me in this challenge by donating whatever you can, be it big or small, everything counts. 

Just to give you an idea of what the money could do.

£15 could provide a Family Support Pack for bereaved parents in need of information and advice. This could also provide a midwife with the leaflets and resources needed to provide support to bereaved parents

£150 could provide Sands memory boxes to hospitals in need to give to 7 bereaved parents. These memory boxes help parents to create memories and collect keepsakes in a very special way

I really appreciate your support. 

Stuart