Tears and smiles at special charity night
Baby loss in the spotlight as event raises awareness
A charity night to mark baby loss awareness week has raised over £1000 for a good cause.
Kimberley McCutcheon tragically lost her daughter Alex at 18 weeks last year.
We recently told how the Cambuslang woman had decided to hold a night for family and friends, to both earn funds for the SiMBA charity and to raise awareness of what to say to people who have lost a baby.
However, the growing demand for the night meant Kimberley’s plans soon escalated.
Legends bar kindly offered use of the venue, and the 27-year-old soon organised an entire night of entertainment, along with discussion about how best to speak to people who’ve been through a tragedy like Kimberley.
In all, a terrific total of £1147 was raised for SiMBA, who make memory boxes for those who have lost their child.
Kimberley said: “I honestly am so grateful and overwhelmed at how it went. I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone for helping me keep Alex’s memory alive.
“Baby loss awareness week can be a very overwhelming and emotional week for bereaved parents. I hope people will be kind and aren’t scared to reach out and ask them how they are doing, say their babies’ names or simply tell them you’re thinking of them.
“For the night at Legends I have to say thanks to William Rodger for the entertainment, Craig and Rachel Dingwall at Special Events Glasgow for helping with decorations, Donna Witters at Dazzle Bydee, Greggs for donating food, my mum Teresa and auntie Nancy and everyone who came to help, gave donation prizes, showed support and donated to an amazing cause.”
One of the most emotional moments on the night was when Kimberley’s father William spoke movingly about hearing the terrible news by reciting a poem.
In his speech he said: “It’s been 540 days since I got the news, that awful sound in my daughter’s voice. It’s hard to describe but not simple to confuse and to forget it
I can’t, it was hard to believe and we had no choice.
“It’s been 540 days, she would be walking, perhaps talking, she would be playing with Leo all happy and smiles. She is part of our family with a sense of belonging – introducing her to a new cousin, Myles.
“She would be calling me papa and colluding with her brother. They would hatch a plan, asking ‘something from the treasure chest Gran?’ Chocolates or sweets, I would always give in when they say the magic word that is ‘shazam’.
“To not have her here, it breaks our heart, I am not able to squeeze her and do ‘the fart.’ But every day it gets a little bit better, as we do things like this, we will not forget her.
“So if like me you struggle to share how you feel, you don’t talk about your loss or the pain you’re in, others are out there going through the same ordeal, but sharing and talking it helps dry up the tears. Don’t be scared to talk about your baby or ask others about theirs. Our granddaughter is Alex, daughter of Jay and Kim.”
Kim’s aunt Nancy also spoke, describing her experiences and attempts at supporting Kim.
For more details on SiMBA visit www. simbacharity.org.uk