Matt was supported by Child Bereavement UK following the death of his son Hugo at three days old. Matt talks about Hugo’s death, the support he received and why he decided to fundraise for Child Bereavement UK.

Early in the spring of 2014 my wife was heavily pregnant, and we were excitedly awaiting the arrival of our first child. We knew he was a boy and had already chosen a name for him; Hugo. One night I awoke to find my wife bleeding heavily. I called an ambulance and we got to hospital as quickly as we could. Later that day, Hugo was delivered by emergency caesarean. When he was born, he wasn’t breathing and had lost a lot of blood. He needed transfusions and it took 14 minutes to resuscitate him.

We had to say goodbye to the most precious person in our lives. We had always dreamed of being parents, and the tragic loss of our son completely turned our lives upside down, we were heartbroken. I had never experienced such devastating pain in my life.

Miraculously he survived that initial trauma, but our beautiful little boy was incredibly unwell. Sadly, just three days later, little Hugo took his last breaths in our arms. We had to say goodbye to the most precious person in our lives. We had always dreamed of being parents and the tragic loss of our son completely turned our lives upside down, we were heartbroken, and I had never experienced such devastating pain in my life.

We met a bereavement support practitioner at Child Bereavement UK and talked about what had happened to our son, how much we missed him and how the tragedy was affecting our lives. The practitioner was incredible so we booked further sessions and over the following months we would meet, talk and often cry.

Our GP had mentioned some bereavement charities to us and after looking on the internet we thought Child Bereavement UK might be able to help us, so we contacted them. They helped us arrange an initial support session which I went to along with my wife, not knowing what to expect. We met a bereavement support practitioner and talked about what had happened to our son, how much we missed him and how the tragedy was affecting our lives. The practitioner was incredible so we booked further sessions and over the following months we would meet, talk and often cry.

Child Bereavement UK helped us try to come to terms with losing our precious son, and I am so grateful for everything they have done for my family. They helped lay the foundations so that we could rebuild our lives and come to terms with our loss.

Child Bereavement UK helped us try to come to terms with losing our precious son, and I am so grateful for everything they have done for my family. They helped lay the foundations so that we could rebuild our lives and come to terms with our loss.

I decided to fundraise for Child Bereavement UK so that others can receive help when they are faced with the most turbulent times of their lives

I decided to fundraise for Child Bereavement UK so that others can receive help when they are faced with the most turbulent times of their lives. I wanted to give back to the charity that has helped me so much so that they can continue to help others like me.

I am not much of a runner but wanted to do something which challenged me whilst also raising vital funds for Child Bereavement UK. I signed up to run the Big Vitality Half Marathon to raise funds for Child Bereavement UK in memory of Hugo.

Finding time for the training was tough, as was running in the cold over the winter but I stuck with it as I was doing it in honour of my special little boy. I am glad I did as I raised a good amount of money for Child Bereavement UK, improved my fitness and had a lot of fun at the same time.

Finding time for the training was tough, as was running in the cold over the winter but I stuck with it as I was doing it in honour of my special little boy. I am glad I did as I raised a good amount of money for Child Bereavement UK, improved my fitness and had a lot of fun at the same time.

The support from the fundraising team at Child Bereavement UK was great. They kept in contact with me by email throughout my fundraising journey, right up to the day of the event. They sent out materials to help with the fundraising and kept me feeling motivated and ready for the big day. I even got a handwritten thank you card after the run which was a lovely touch; it made me feel proud to be part of the Child Bereavement UK family.

The support from the fundraising team at Child Bereavement UK was great. They kept in contact with me by email throughout my fundraising journey, right up to the day of the event. They sent out materials to help with the fundraising and kept me feeling motivated and ready for the big day. I even got a handwritten thank you card after the run which was a lovely touch; it made me feel proud to be part of the Child Bereavement UK family.

My advice to other people thinking about fundraising is do it! Set yourself a challenge and go for it. You will receive ongoing support from Child Bereavement UK, and the events are a lot of fun.

My advice to other people thinking about fundraising is do it! Set yourself a challenge and go for it. You will receive ongoing support from Child Bereavement UK and the events are a lot of fun. Child Bereavement UK is such an amazing charity and what they do helps improve the lives of people dealing with tragedy and loss.

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If you have been inspired to take on a challenge for us, please visit our challenge events page, contact our fundraising team on [email protected] or call us on 01494 569048.