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Support in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Coordinator - Email and phone support - Annamarie

Annamarie 2_2

Hi, I live in Armagh. In the Spring 2011 newsletter you can read about my journey with my son Cathal, who lived for a few precious hours. I am hoping to help all those in my area who need information or support after a diagnosis of Edwards' or Patau's syndromes.

I have already organised several successful fundraising events for SOFT UK to increase awareness of these syndromes locally and I was one of the helpers at the SOFT 2011 Weekend in May at the Hilton in Northampton. On August 13th with Sharon Russell and Jenny Robbins the National Coordinator of SOFT UK, I arranged a meeting at the Days Hotel in Belfast. Members from Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland, SOFT Italy and England spent a pleasant afternoon chatting to one another and exchanging stories while our children played together.
Best Wishes
Annamarie

Fundraising for SOFT in Memory of Cathal

After my Cathal’s amazing fight for life we decided that we would like to give back to the charities that had supported us. We organised the sponsored walk in memory of Cathal for the 25th September. All the walkers wore a T-shirt with Cathal’s picture on the front and another angel’s name or the name of a miracle child who had defied the odds and was living with one of these conditions. Over a hundred walkers participated in the 2 mile walk that started at Callanbridge and finished at Longstone and a balloon release.

The places we walked past spelt out Cathal’s name, such a fitting tribute to my wee man. Three trisomy mummy friends came and wore their own special angels on their tee shirts. It was wonderful to see our babies together. Thank you Sharon Russell, Denise Devlin and Roisin Murphy for making the day extra special to my family and me.A local bar supplied food and refreshments afterwards, and we held a raffle with some wonderful prizes donated by local businesses. The response was fantastic and we were able to give each charity £2000. How wonderful that my boy is still helping and that he made such an impact on our community that they dug very deep in their pockets. Cathal’s legacy will live on as we are fundraising for SOFT in the future, and by raising awareness, his little life will not have been in vain.