Grieving Dad’s Challenge Returns Support for Bereavement Team

A bereaved father and his supportive cousin who pulled out all the stops to complete a triple medal running challenge raised over £5,000 for our charity, in memory of his daughter, who was sadly stillborn last year.

James Lindop, from Newcastle-Under-Lyme, and his cousin, Matthew Lindop, took on the Chester Triple Medal challenge, both completing a 10k race, a half marathon and then a full marathon to raise funds for the maternity unit and bereavement team at our hospital, where James and his wife, Stellina were cared for after losing their daughter, Faith.

At 32 weeks pregnant, Stellina visited her local hospital after noticing her baby wasn’t moving as much as usual. After a period of monitoring suggested everything was fine, Stellina was discharged and as a precaution she was invited back the next day for a scan but that was the moment their lives changed forever, as the sonographer noticed a multitude of complications including developmental abnormalities and seeking a second and third opinion, referred Stellina and James to our hospital.

The next few weeks felt like a lifetime as, Stellina underwent further ultrasounds, an MRI scan and meetings with our specialist fetal medicine team. Unfortunately, the prognosis for Stellina and James’ baby was devastating.

The next week, Stellina’s waters broke and she was rushed to our hospital by ambulance, where on the 18 August 2024, Faith Rose Lindop was born sleeping.

Stellina and James were heartbroken and decided together that it would be too upsetting to see Faith. Our maternity and bereavement teams honoured their decision, supporting them both in their grief as Stellina recovered. After a week on the maternity unit, Stellina felt physically well enough to go home but her care from our bereavement team continued with daily phone calls.

A couple of weeks later, Stellina and James felt strong enough to meet Faith, and travelled back to our hospital. They were welcomed into Woodland House, our new standalone bereavement centre, where they were able to hold and spend time with their baby girl away from the hospital, in a non-clinical setting.

James said: “The four weeks between finding out the terrible news and the heartbreak of having a stillborn were the longest and mostly painful in our lives and we wouldn’t have been able to get through it without the support of the midwives, consultants and bereavement team who went above and beyond for us. That’s why I chose to fundraise, so that I could give back and make sure that any other family going through the same devastating nightmare can receive the same excellent care.”

Looking to challenge himself, James set his sights on running a marathon but his cousin Matthew, an avid runner persuaded James to take on an even bigger challenge, completing three races throughout the year. James completed his final challenge, the marathon, earlier this month, on just three hours sleep and with cramp, a week after he and Stellina welcomed their rainbow baby – Faith’s little brother, Theodore.

Annie Eytle, Head of Public Fundraising at Birmingham Women’s Hospital Charity, said: “This week (9-15 October) is Baby Loss Awareness Week and we’re incredibly grateful to James for sharing his family’s heartbreaking experience and humbled that he has been able to channel his grief into taking on such a tough challenge, and raising such a phenomenal amount.

“The funds James and his cousin, Matthew, raised will help us continue supporting both our maternity and bereavement teams, to continue caring for families just like theirs.”

James added: “The more people understand that they are not alone in baby loss the better, as we felt alone and if it wasn’t for Birmingham Women’s Hospital and its bereavement team in Woodland House, we don’t know how we would have been able to get through the grief of losing Faith Rose Lindop. We’re so grateful for that support.”

James and his supportive employer and colleagues at architectural firm, Corstorphine & Wright, have since also volunteered and pledged further time to take part in projects to transform and maintain the garden at Woodland House, to provide a serene space for grieving families using the facility to spend time in nature.