Hull police officer set to run race for charity
FAMILY DEVASTATED AFTER TRAGIC DEATH OF BABY BOY
A HUMBERSIDE Police officer devastated by the stillbirth of his baby boy is donning his running shoes to raise cash for a cause which helped his family in their darkest hour.
Dad-of-three Jonny Knight and his partner Ashleigh tragically lost their son Oakley in March 2020 after he was born still at 41 weeks.
Ashleigh was induced and the couple returned to the hospital the following morning, tragically finding that the infant was showing no signs of life.
Jonny and Ashleigh then had to arrive home to daughter Arabella, three, to tell her Oakley had been poorly and had “gone up to the sky to be a star”.
Fuelled by grief, Jonny has since taken up running to help process their loss, and is now taking on Hull’s half marathon to raise cash for Hull Sands, a vital charity which carries out research into still births and supports bereaved parents.
Speaking to the Mail, Jonny said the past two years had been a rollercoaster for the family as they struggled to come to terms with what had happened.
Oakley’s still birth occurred days after lockdown restrictions were imposed in the country, meaning the couple couldn’t be with their family afterwards for support.
Since then, they have welcomed their third child, baby Tallulah.
“Until what happened, it had been a normal pregnancy for Ashleigh,” said Jonny, 33, who is an emergency response officer with Humberside Police, based at Clough Road.
“We were back in hospital at around 7am the next day and went straight to the labour ward at Hull Women & Children’s, unfortunately, they couldn’t find a heartbeat.
Oakley must have passed away sometime in the evening. We’re not sure exactly when.
“Our lives changed forever that day,” Jonny added.
A beautiful funeral was held for Oakley at Chanterlands Avenue crematorium, with only close family present due to coronavirus restrictions.
Explaining Oakley’s death to Arabella was “extremely difficult”, Jonny said.
“She seems to have gotten quite a grasp of it for a five-year-old. When it was dark at night and she could see the stars she would look for the brightest star and say, ‘there’s Oakley.’”
The family now have a teddy bear they name “Oakley bear” for their daughters to have to remember their brother.
Jonny is now running the Run For All Hull Half Marathon on Saturday, June 12, to raise money for Hull Sands.
He plans to take on the challenge wearing in a shirt bearing Oakley’s name.
“Going running allowed me to think about things and grieve without breaking down,” he said.
“Because you’re exerting yourself and you’re tired, it almost allows you to drip feed your thoughts and emotions rather than let them come all at once and overwhelm me.”
Having never run more than 10km before, Jonny said he was nervous about the challenge but that he was prepared to “hobble the last bit” if necessary.
He’s already hit his £500 target for the charity and is now considering raising this to £1,000.
Hull and East Yorkshire Sands is
one of the UK’S leading organisations supporting those affected by still birth and neonatal deaths.
After Oakley’s death, Jonny and Ashleigh, 31, were able to spend time with their son in a special room at the hospital funded by the charity.
“The charity themselves also put money into research into why still birth happens.
“It’s something nobody should have to go through, but sadly there are countless families like us.”
To support Jonny and Ashleigh and donate to Hull and East Yorkshire Sands, visit his fundraising page at www.gofundme.com.
For more information about the charity and the work they do, visit hull.sands.org.uk