On the 25th January Heather and Stuart are walking a marathon, joining the London Winter Walk and completing a 26.2 mile circuit!

At the start of last year on the 10th January, Heather and Chris lost their first baby, Thomas was born sleeping at 31 weeks. His loss was unexpected and heartbreaking not just for them, but for their entire families and closest friends. They went from expecting their first child to be born in just a few short weeks, to planning his funeral and making decisions no parent should ever have to face. The grief and pain they experienced is indescribable, but they are not alone.

Every day in the UK, 8 more babies are born sleeping.

Heather and Chris were guided through their grief by two charities, providing support and resources during such a hopeless time. They were also privileged to have incredible family and friends who rallied round to take care of them.

Over the last few months they have been in touch with many other parents who have also had a stillbirth, and not all are so lucky. There is still a lot of prejudice and stigma around this sensitive topic. But these two charities, SANDS and Forget-Me-Not Childrens Hospice, work to provide guidance, care and hope to families who live with this loss.

Coming up on Thomas' first birthday, Heather and her dad, Stuart, are joining the Ultra Challenge event to walk a full marathon around London to raise funds for these two charities;

Forget Me Not Children's Hospice worked with them for the first two months, liaising with their hospital, the milk bank Heather donated to, and helping them plan Thomas' funeral. Over the past 8 months, Heather and Chris have joined their local SANDS group, where they have met and become close friends with other parents who have experienced stillbirth and child loss too.

Without a doubt 2024 was the toughest year they and their family had ever faced, these two charities and their midwives, nurses and volunteers shone a light in the dark to help Heather and Chris navigate their loss.

For more details on the challenge, see https://www.ultrachallenge.com/london-winter-walk/