Alexandra Dickson is walking 100km during September in aid of SANDS, which supports families following stillbirth and neonatal deaths.
The cause couldn’t be any closer to Alexandra’s heart as in May she and her partner Bryan tragically lost their little Sophie two days into the induction process at 39 weeks.
Alexandra had a wonderful pregnancy up to then and the couple couldn’t wait to bring their baby girl home. The car seat was in place, the nursery was ready and their hearts were full of hopes and dreams.
But then there was a catastrophic event which unfortunately resulted in Sophie’s death.
Alexandra said: “Sophie was 5lbs 15oz of absolute perfection and we are so lucky to be her mummy and daddy.”
She explained that after the tragedy they got to spend “three beautiful days and nights with Sophie, making memories together as a family that we will treasure forever”.
“We look at pictures of her every day and I continuously watch the video of Bryan and I giving her a bath in hospital – a moment I will hold in my heart forever,” she said. “I think until you have experienced baby loss it’s really difficult to imagine what it feels like.
“Many parents say it’s their ‘worst nightmare’ and that’s probably a pretty good way to describe it.
“We are slowly coming to terms with the fact that we are not going to wake up from this.
“I am currently on maternity leave without my baby and Bryan is recently back to work as a health visitor, which is a very challenging role at present.
“There is no area of our life that hasn’t been impacted by losing Sophie. Leaving hospital with a memory box is a pain we will never forget. We believe Sophie’s death was preventable and that’s really tough to accept.
“We are in the early stages of our grief journey and although we both feel broken, the support of our family, friends and SANDS has provided us with strength and hope for the future.”
The devastated couple have hailed the support they are still receiving, praising SANDS members Alison and Gemma as well as local founders Alison and David Hall.
Alexandra added: “There is something very different and comforting about meeting other families who have lost their babies. I know Bryan feels dads are sometimes overlooked so having David there as a listening ear has helped him massively.
“We have attended SANDS support groups and taken part in activities such as painting stones in memory of our babies and tidying up the babies’ burial area at St Michael’s Cemetery.”
In return, Alexandra wanted to take on a challenge to raise awareness and money for the charity. She said: “I was tempted with the Three Peaks challenge, however I reluctantly agreed this perhaps wasn’t the best idea four months after an emergency C section.
“Walking 100km seemed like a much more sensible challenge.”
Alexandra finds the walking really helps her mental health and is also aiding her physical recovery. And she is motoring through, having already completed 75km.
She added: “I walked every day during my pregnancy with Sophie and I used to talk to her. Other walkers must have thought I was mad!
“I have walked with amazing mums I have met through SANDS and these walks are particularly special talking about our forever missed babies.”
Alexandra has already raised £1170, massively exceeding her initial target of £150 and has been “overwhelmed by the support” and “so grateful” for all donations.
Bryan is “incredibly proud” of her too and said: “It can’t be easy to have so much thinking time on her walks but I know Sophie is with her with every step of the way and will be equally as proud of her mummy as I am.
“I know Alexandra is doing this not only in memory of our little girl but also to help other families and that is just incredible.”
You can still donate to Alexandra’s challenge by visiting: https://fundraising.sands.org.uk/fundraisers/alexandradickson
