Gary Westerby, 34, and Rob, 32, have cycled over 170 miles in memory of
their friend’s son who died last year at just eleven days old.
Acey Gardner was diagnosed with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH)
at his 20 week scan – a birth defect which occurs when the diaphragm doesn’t
form properly and other organs enter the chest cavity, which prevents the lungs
from developing. He was given a 50% chance of surviving when he was born five
weeks early, weighing just 4lb 3oz.
Acey was immediately transferred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital and at
five days old he underwent major specialist surgery to pull his organs down
from the chest cavity and repair the diaphragm. Sadly, Acey’s lungs weren’t
strong enough and six days later he passed away.
During this tragic time, Mum Becky, Dad Simon and their three year old
son Ollie, were supported at Magnolia House – free ‘Home from Home’
accommodation run by The Sick Children’s Trust. Mum Becky says:
“Without Magnolia House, we wouldn’t have been able to stay so close to Acey.
And because of it we could be with our son 24 hours a day. If it hadn’t been
for The Sick Children’s Trust, we would have been left with the agonising
ordeal of having to travel to and from the hospital every day – a 2.5 hour
round trip! It would have been horrible having to leave our son, not knowing if
he would make it through the night.
“Whilst staying at one of The Sick Children’s Trust’s ‘Home from Home’
is free of charge, it costs the charity £30 to support a family for one night. They
rely entirely on voluntary income to meet this cost and I am so grateful to my
friend Gary for taking on this cycling challenge to raise money for the charity
which is a lifeline for any family that may find themselves in this terrible
situation.”
Last month Gary, along with Rob, took on the Coast to Coast cycle
challenge from Blackpool North Pier to Cleethorpes Pier. The duo pedalled for
two days, raising £1,900 for The Sick Children’s Trust. Gary says:
“We decided to turn our cycling challenge into a fundraiser because we
were planning it at the time Becky and her family were going through everything
with Acey and we wanted to thank the charity for their support at such a
difficult time.
“Having Magnolia House meant Becky and her family could see Acey whenever
they liked – day or night. Because of The Sick Children’s Trust, Becky, Simon
and Ollie could spend Acey’s last moments by his side. I know that meant a lot
to them.”
The Sick Children’s Trust runs ten ‘Homes from Home’ across the UK –
supporting around 4,000 families with seriously ill children in hospital every
year. Ann Wyatt, Magnolia House Manager says:
“We are so grateful to Gary and Rob for taking on the 170 mile cycling
challenge to fundraise for us. We supported Becky, Simon and Ollie at Magnolia
House which is located on the hospital grounds, and meant Acey’s family were
just minutes from his hospital bedside. Acey and his family are always in our
thoughts, and through such a tragic loss we’re comforted to know that by
providing ‘Home from Home’ accommodation, they could be with him right up until
that final goodbye.
“It costs us £30 to support a charity for one night and we rely entirely
on voluntary donations to do this, so Gary and Rob’s fundraising will go
towards supporting more families with seriously ill children in hospital –
keeping them together when it matters the most.”
To sponsor Gary and Rob, please click here:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/C2C-2017
Distributed by Pressat
T. 020 7638 4066Additional Contact(s):
Communications Assistant
ryan@sickchildrenstrust.org
