Parents honour baby boy’s memory with six half-marathons for charity

COUPLE LOST THEIR LITTLE BOY AT SIX MONTHS PREGNANT AND WANTED TO GIVE BACK TO CHARITY FÉILEACÁIN

A Wicklow couple who lost their baby boy last year marked his anniversary recently by donating €5,310 raised running six half-marathons to stillbirth and neonatal death support charity Féileacáin.

Gorey residents Lisa Flanagan and Jason ‘JJ’ O’Byrne, who recently relocated to Wexford from their home in Redcross, lost their stillborn son Teidí last year when Lisa was six months into the pregnancy.

Turning to Féileacáin, the devastated couple found comfort in their support services, the shared experiences of other parents and, in particular, a ‘Memory Box’ provided by the charity, which included a lasting impression of Teidí’s hand and footprints Lisa said she would cherish forever.

Eager to give back, the avid runners undertook the gruelling challenge of six half-marathons in six months, taking on successive runs across Leinster, Holland and the final one while on holiday in Spain.

After raising a whopping €5,310 via their iDonate page, the couple said they felt honoured to be able to do their bit to repay Féileacáin for the emotional support they have provided them and so many bereaved parents across the country.

“We lost our little baby boy in April last year, when I was six months into the pregnancy, and Féileacáin were just incredible to us – they went above and beyond,” Lisa said.

“Always, the one thing that sticks out to me is the handprints and footprints of your baby, which they put in a frame because you’re never going to see your baby’s little hands or feet again – so to have them in this frame means you’ll never forget them. That was just so thoughtful.

“Féileacáin is run by bereaved parents who have all lost babies, so they really can understand what you’re going through. Some of the people from Féileacáin have reached out to us and texted us, we’ve met them in person, and they’re just lovely people.

“When you’re going through a bereavement like this, you can feel very alone because no one can really understand it unless they’ve been through it themselves. So to be able to speak to people who can genuinely sympathise and empathise with what you’re going through, it makes the world of difference.

“I have known people who have been in the same boat as us, and they’ve all gone on to fundraise for Féileacáin, which tells you so much about what their services mean to people.

“I suppose, in mine and JJ’s case, we were always going to give back to Féileacáin,” she continued.

“I’m a member of Parnell AC, whose members and Bill Porter were a massive support to us when we lost Teidí. I’ve done half-marathons before, 5k and 10k races, a bit of cross country and stuff like that, but Jason is a massive marathon runner.

“We wanted to raise money for Féileacáin, so doing it via running events made sense, but, on reflection, I don’t think I thought it through!

“I just thought, oh, I can run six half marathons, it will be fine, and sure halfway through it, I got injured, so a couple of those races towards the end were hard work.

“We did six half marathons in six months, starting in August, with the last one in January. We did a few in Ireland and a few abroad, starting with the Longford half marathon, then the Kilkenny half marathon, Clontarf, Amsterdam and then Waterford in December.

“There wasn’t really a race on in January, so when we were over in Lanzarote, Jason and I did our own half-marathon route there.”

Having completed their final run at the turn of the year and tallied up their fundraising total, Lisa and Jason recently extended their tightly-knit family an invitation to attend the presentation of the funds to Féileacáin.

Assembling at Brittas Bay, joined by family members and Anne Marie Murtagh from Féileacáin, the couple marked their late son’s anniversary in an emotional gathering by the seaside.

“We were really delighted with the donations we received, and can’t thank everyone enough for supporting Féileacáin,” Lisa said.

“When it came to making the

YOU’RE NEVER GOING TO SEE YOUR BABY’S LITTLE HANDS OR FEET AGAIN, SO TO HAVE THEM IN A FRAME MEANS YOU NEVER FORGET

donation, we wanted to keep it to close family, and I know a lot of my friends would have loved to have been there, but I just wanted to have it personal, with my mam, sister, JJ’s parents, the brother and his wife and baby.

“It was lovely that people made the effort to come down on the day, which was actually Teidí’s anniversary.

“A huge thanks to Anne Marie Murtagh of Féileacáin, who came down to accept the cheque, and on her day off no less. That tells you everything you need to know about Féileacáin and how far they go for so many parents across the country.”

To donate to Féileacáin, visit feileacain.ie/donate