Thank you for taking the time to read Rudys story and understand why we are attempting the 3 Peaks challenge.

 

At 14:15 on the 14th September 2010 my wife Sarah gave birth to our first child, a beautiful boy called Rudy Olaf. 

He was born at just under 38 weeks and came out at a very healthy and tall 6 pound 1 ounce. The doctor who performed the c section commented that he was perfect. 

 

After a couple of hours Rudy was showing signs that he needed help with his breathing something which is common with babies born through c section and he was taken to the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU)

 

On SCBU his condition did not improve and he needed to be ventilated.

 

After being ventilated the situation calmed down for our little man and by 12:00 noon the next day he was fighting the ventilator so much he was taken off it and we started talking about giving him a bottle feed, a kangaroo cuddle and to change his nappy for the first time!

 

Sadly at 18:00 Rudy's health took a very unexpected and very fast turn for the worst and after showing exceptional courage, fight and a truly amazing will to live our brave little man passed away just before 1:00am on the 16th September.

 

Since the death of Rudy we have been supported by staff from Ormskirk DGH were he was born, the Alder Centre at Liverpool's Alder Hey and representatives from the charity Sands - Still Birth and Neonatal Death Charity. (Please take time to read about Sands below)

 

All three have been truly amazing to Sarah and I and this is why I now come to you to ask for your donations.

 

On the 28th May a group of friends and myself are going to attempt the Three peaks 24 hour challenge, if you have never heard of it, the challenge is to walk Britain’s three highest mountains - Ben Nevis, Scarfell Pike and Snowdon in 24 hours and we are doing this to raise as much money as possible.

 

All monies raised will be paid initially to Sands and then Sarah and I will work with the local Sands rep to decide on how best it can be used locally.

 

The team includes 

Brian Ball, Joanna Disley, Chris Disley, David Johnston, Colin Thomson, Jerry Stimpson, Nick Hayes, Sarah Malm (Rudy's mummy) and me Andrew Malm

 

Please don’t be shy and give as much money as you can afford every penny is really appreciated.  

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: SANDS gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

 

Thank you for your help and kindness.

 

Sarah Andrew and the team.

 

About the Charity I am raising money for:

 

Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, is an organisation that offers support when a baby dies during pregnancy or after birth.

 

Sands, was founded in 1978 by a small group of bereaved parents devastated by the death of their babies and in particular by what they felt was a complete lack of acknowledgement and understanding of the significance and impact of their loss.

 

Over the past 25 years the charity has supported many thousands of families whose babies have died, offering emotional support, comfort and practical help. Sands has worked tirelessly with health professionals to revolutionise the care bereaved families receive in hospital. Sands has fundamentally changed the way in which bereaved parents and their babies are cared for

 

Why Sands is so relevant: Incredibly in the UK today, in spite of medical advances, many parents, their families and friends continue to have their lives quite literally turned upside down by the death of their baby.  17 babies a day are either stillborn or die within the first twenty eight days of life, over 6,500 babies dying every year.  Rates of stillbirth have remained relatively unchanged for 20 years and in fact are increasing.

 

Sands core aims are to:

 

support anyone affected by the death of a baby;

 

work with health professionals to improve the quality of care and services provided to bereaved parents and their families;

 

and promote changes in antenatal practice and to fund research that could help to reduce the loss of babies' lives and the number of families devastated by this tragedy.