Walk for Willow - Supporting SUFC Thanet

On January the 13th 2024 it will be five years since we lost our darling daughter, Willow. At just 40 hours old, less than two days, she tiptoed out of this world leaving an imprint on our lives that has changed us forever.

Willow had a condition known as anencephaly, a rare condition where the baby is born without parts of the brain and skull. This meant that she wouldn’t have long if she survived birth.

After a successful C-Section our twins were born. Mia, who will be celebrating her 5th birthday without her twin, Willow, is still with us now.

The last five years have been the toughest of our lives. Trying to live with a hole in the shape of Willow in our hearts has felt impossible at times. However, Mia kept us going (just).

From Willow's funeral in February 2019 until November 2021 we tried to support ourselves between ourselves. However, with my mental health dwindling I had to reach out. This is when I found Sands United. For around 18 months I was with the Kent group but I saw a void of support in my area. This encouraged me to start up a group in our local community and we now support over 30 dads and their families, representing 42 angels between them.

Walk For Willow was started to allow us to raise awareness and money for a worth while cause. This cause will be Sands United FC Thanet, to further facilitate support for men affected by child loss in the Thanet and surrounding areas.

So please support us with this challenge - we will be walking from the home of Sands United FC Thanet to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

Donate, share, tell your friends and say her name. Willow Mia Stokes.

Ryan Stokes (Founder of Sand United FC Thanet)