Our thanks to Dean, Declan, Garrett, Luke and Nathan for successfully completing the Hertfordshire Half Marathon on 3 November, raising over £4,500.

Dean decided to take on this challenge with his four not-so-in-shape friends, after he and Gabriella lost their first-born son Noah on 24 January last year. He was born around 22 weeks gestation and although he was expected to pass as soon as he was born, his heartbeat for an hour-and-a-half. Sadly, Noah had Renal Agenesis which meant his kidneys were not developed.

As Dean and Gabriella explained:

“Noah was perfect in every way. A gorgeous baby boy except for his kidneys were not developed which meant he would not survive once he was born.

“The Kingston Hospital maternity team offered incredible support to us during an unimaginable time. We feel that no one should have to give birth to their baby and have them die in their arms, experiencing the anguish that comes from losing a child. However, the midwives, Donna, Lauren, Kat and Holly were exceptional throughout the delivery and after care of Noah. We also received psychological support thereafter from a trained professional to help process the loss. Unfortunately, due to NHS funding challenges, parents who lose their child under 18 weeks of pregnancy, do not receive psychological support. We feel this must change, which is why we came up with the Noah’s Memorial Half Marathon challenge, as we felt we had to contribute financially to help bereaved parents navigate their grief.

“The funds raised from the Hertfordshire Half Marathon will help the maternity service at Kingston Hospital to provide much needed psychological support for parents that go through the devastation of their baby dying under 18 weeks of pregnancy. We are so grateful to everyone who contributed to our fundraising and we look forward to hearing when sufficient money has been raised to establish this new service.”

Balvinder Reehal, Kingston Maternity’s Screening & Bereavement Lead said:

“Charitable monies were instrumental in enabling us to establish a counselling service for those who suffer the unimaginable pain of a fetal loss after 22 weeks. With Dean and Gabriella’s support, we hope to be able to put in place something similar so that those who have to go through what they did can access professional counselling support. These sessions provide a confidential and supportive space for families to process grief and to tackle the anxiety which so often accompanies grief, especially for those who continue to try having a baby. We feel at Kingston Hospital this should be an essential part of the care we offer all expectant parents.”

If you would like to donate or fundraise to help establish this new service, please contact Rupert Meredith-Jones at r.meredith-jones@nhs.net or by phone on 020 8973 5041.