Ginny finishes first marathon in memory of grandson George
25th April
A Heathfield grandmother whose grandson was stillborn has raised thousands of pounds to help other grieving families by running her first marathon.
Ginny Ryan, 47, was determined to raise the £2,800 to pay for a Abi Cooling cot following the death or her grandson George on 20th February 2023. She made and sold lots of sweet cones, had lots of support from her brother’s sandwich shop in Dartford, a local café and pub and, along with donations from family and friends, she managed to raise more than her target.
Ginny explains: “My daughter Sophie gave birth to my gorgeous grandson George on 20th February 2023. Unfortunately he was stillborn but thanks to a Abi Cooling cot we were all able to spend as much time as we wanted with George. Unfortunately, not all hospitals and hospices have a cooling cot which means families of stillborn babies only get to spend about four hours with their newborn babies.
“The thought of this really upset me as I know how important those precious days with George were to Sophie and her partner Ethan. I decided then to run a marathon and was very lucky to get a place in The London Marathon.
“I’m not a runner and training was very hard, but I was determined to raise the £2,800 for a Abi Cooling cot. The marathon was harder than I expected but seeing my family and friends and the crowds got me through it in 6hrs 57 mins.”
The Abi Cooling Cot is currently being made and is going to Chestnut Tree House Hospice in Arundel.
A cold cot is a refrigerated cot that allows parents to spend more time with their deceased baby than would otherwise be possible. It helps parents to bond with their baby and aids the grieving process.
Abigail’s Footsteps is a baby loss charity providing support and counselling for bereaved parents and families as well as specialist bereavement training for midwives and healthcare professionals.
Since 2010, the charity has worked to improve the way bereaved parents are cared for by hospitals and to better educate midwives on how to care for grieving parents. Sadly, stillbirths and neo-natal deaths occur daily, yet many hospitals are not equipped to deal with the parental care required, they have inadequate facilities and their staff receive little to no bereavement training.
By working with medical professionals to understand the issues and seek solutions the charity has helped many families. One of the charity’s greatest has been the creation and funding of the Abi cooling cot which allows parents valuable time to spend with their baby before saying goodbye. These cots are distributed UK wide wherever the need and as funding allows.
