Walk or Run in Memory of AJ

Our names are Adrian & Laura McHale, parents to our beloved son AJ (Adrian Junior).

AJ sadly went to the arms of the angels in June 2017 at just 17 days old.

AJ is the youngest of our 4 amazing children. He was adored and loved by his big sister Ava-Lauren and his two big brothers Culáin & Fionán.

This journey began in February 2017 during our routine 20-week anomaly scan. This scan led to further investigation which ultimately led to us receiving the life changing news that our son would be born with Trisomy 18/Edwards Syndrome. At that point we were advised that the possibility of making it to full term in pregnancy was ‘unlikely’ and if we did, we would be ‘lucky’ to have minutes perhaps hours with our precious baby. However, AJ had other plans. Our son fought hard for his first breaths once he was born, but he did it. The minutes and hours predicted, quickly turned into days as AJ ( who was medically unaided) defied all odds and gave us the happiest 17 days of our lives as a family of 6.

Our motivation and hope behind this fundraiser is to give back to 3 of the amazing services and charities that supported us as a family in our darkest days.

1. Sligo University Hospital – Maternity Bereavement Services

The care, kindness, love and compassion we received by the staff of the maternity services of SUH was beyond the call of duty and we will be forever grateful. Our hope is to raise enough funds to add to an area of solace for people receiving life changing news and diagnosis.

2. First Light https://firstlight.ie/

First Light is a charity based organization who provide bereavement therapy for parents and siblings of child loss. This vital service helped to remove the financial stress and burden in what was already an incredibly difficult time. They helped us as a family navigate our feelings, emotions and grief and keep our family unit together at times when we felt like we were falling apart.

3. SOFT - www.softireland.com

Support Organization For Trisomy - is a voluntary group of individuals dedicated to supporting families of children born with Trisomy 18 and Trisomy 13. Our son AJ was born with Trisomy 18/ Edwards Syndrome. Speaking with someone who already faced and survived our path allowed us to feel not so alone and provided reassurance in a time when we were so uneducated about Trisomy 18. We will always remember the advice ‘cherish every second you get’ as we put our whole heart into creating treasured memories in a limited timeframe which we are so grateful for today.

This brings us to what we as a family will do in the hope to raise awareness and much needed funds for these essential services whilst also honoring the memory of our beautiful boy.

For 17 days, beginning on AJ’s birthday June 9th and finishing on his anniversary June 25th Adrian and his lifelong friend Michael McDermott will run 17km for each of the 17 days of AJ’s short life.

Laura will walk 7km each day for the same period marking his 7th year Anniversary and embracing his 17 days of life.

The day before each walk and run Laura will post the time and place the walk/run will begin the following day. Both Laura and Adrian would welcome anyone who would like to join them on their daily challenge for AJ.

With our whole hearts we would like to thank the people who sadly walked our path of child loss before us. Thank you for paving the way towards making child loss less of a taboo subject. Thank you for fundraising and pouring much needed funding into the many charities who support families like ours. We appreciate your efforts so much. And to the future families who do not yet know that this will be your future path to walk. We are doing this for you, you will survive this.

Thank you for taking the time to read our story, we are so grateful for the love and support already given by so many.

For all those who have loved and lost but never forget.

If loved could have saved you Son, you would have lived forever.

With an abundance of love and gratitude,

The Kenny McHale Family