Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, operates across the UK: supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby; working in partnership with health professionals to ensure that bereaved parents and families receive the best possible care; and promoting improvements in practice and funding research that could help to reduce the loss of babies’ lives.

We depend on the amazing energies of our supporters to raise the vital funds that we need to deliver the wide range of services that we offer. #TeamSands

Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity, operates across the UK: supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby; working in partnership with health professionals to ensure that bereaved parents and families receive the best possible care; and promoting improvements in practice and funding research that could help to reduce the loss of babies’ lives.

We depend on the amazing energies of our supporters to raise the vital funds that we need to deliver the wide range of services that we offer. #TeamSands

My Story....

SANDS...is a charity that is very close to my own heart, having lost my son Tyler at 38 weeks on the 3rd August 2003, still born. I remember the day like it was only yesterday.

It was a Sunday and I was at work. I received a phone call from my wife Mel, she was clearly a little upset and concerned having not felt Tyler move much, so for reassurance we decided to go to the local hospital for a check-up. Once there, my wife was placed on a monitor and every 20 min's or so the nurse would come back to check in on her. After about an hour a consultant came and checked the monitor with the nurse and turned to us to say that they were a little concerned as Tyler's heart rate was showing signs of deteriorating which concerned them and they felt the best course of action was to undertake an emergency caesarean.

We didn't have time to think, as they led my wife away to prep for the operation. I was taken away to a waiting room and rang Mel's mum and dad and explained the situation. I waited.....and waited for what seemed like hours waiting for some news. A nurse called me in to a room.....

I'll never forget hearing the words from the nurse as I was led in to a side room, where she informed me that Mel was well and recovering from the operation, and then I guess cant of been easy for her to say the words let alone hear them, my son Tyler had died, they couldn't tell me why but at the time it didn't matter my whole world crashed around me. For me the worst part at the time we had to stay in a room at the back of the maternity ward

I remember Maggie, our bereavement councillor, she was our rock and helped us not only through the grieving process but gave my wife and me the emotional support we needed. My son would have been 19 now and there isn't a day that goes by when I don't think about him and wonder how he might have turned out. I am also very proud to have been involved in the very first start up Men's football team for bereaved fathers, Sands United the first of its kind in the country. I met some amazing people who like me had also suffered bereavement.....people I now call my family!

So it's time for me to try and give something back and support a great cause who helped me and my wife through an extremely difficult time, and whilst I would love to run marathons or climb mountains, football injuries and age have taken their toll. So I am doing something people can take part and get involved in.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and support such an amazing cause x