Running For Jessica Rose: The London Marathon : Our Story

"Will you run a marathon some day? You know just once to see if you can do it?"

"Absolutely not! That's crazy, there's no way I could do that or would even want to, the training would be insane!" (Shakes head vigorously)....

...Yet here I sit, ready to tell you all about how I'm going to run the London Marathon for the Lullaby Trust.

*Lets rewind a bit*

If we haven't met, I'm Jenny. I'm 32 years old and live in Cumbria, with my husband of 8 years James, 5 year old Jack and 1 year old Juliet. I'm an accountant but I'm taking a break from my day job at the moment to look after those two little scamps.

In March 2014 we welcomed our second child, Jessica Rose. She was perfect, beautiful and full of smiles. However in the February of the following year at just 10&1/2 months old, she passed away in her sleep. Despite a post mortem and a thorough investigation no reason was found for her death and she became a victim of SIDs (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome).

In the weeks and months following Jessica's death we were overwhelmed by the love and support of family, friends and charities. Jessica left a lasting impact on so many people, both close to us and further afield.

The Lullaby Trust became my reference point. The process following the unexpected death of a child is long and drawn out, as parents we were often left wondering what would happen next and what the implications of a SIDs "verdict" would be. I spoke to Lullaby for advice during this time and when we went on to have our beautiful rainbow baby Juliet in 2016, Lullaby helped us via their Care of Next Infant (CONI) scheme.

The work that the Lullaby Trust do is vital not only to support bereaved families but to support and fund research into the causes of SIDs and reducing the risk of unexpected deaths through their safer sleep campaign. You can read more about the incredible work the charity does here.

So in April of this year, whilst watching the London Marathon coverage on the TV, I knew I had to get involved and do something to help. Losing a child with no explanation left me feeling helpless, so find an outlet to make something positive is a great healer for me and I hope to do my very best, not only in my running but in my fundraising too.