Inspirational Lass - Shauna Docherty

Please say hello to this beautiful 12 year old lass Shauna Docherty, from Glasgow. Tomorrow, Saturday 5th April, Shauna is getting her hair cut from waist to shoulder length! 

Inspired by her awesome Mum, Joanne, who is walking 5 UK Kiltwalks AND Machu Pichu for Oor Kids and SiMBA, Shauna wanted to raise funds too. Shauna says her Mum and Mum's friends are all champs for doing such incredible challenges. But we think Shauna is AMAZING!

And she is also donating her ponytail to a worthy cause that makes wigs for children the suffer with hair loss through cancer treatment called Princess Trust:

http://www.littleprincesses.org.uk/about-us/

Please donate what you can, every single pound helps both charities make such a huge difference - and do leave a message of support for this big hearted lass here - 

http://m.virginmoneygiving.com/mt/uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserPage.action?userUrl=Simba2014&pageUrl=4&isTeam=true

Highland Journal April 2014

Welcome to the April 2014 edition of the SiMBA Highland Journal! 

The beginning of 2014 has proven to be a busy time with so many events happening throughout the UK for SiMBA as the charity continues to respond to the needs of those affected by the loss of a baby.

Tain Royal Academy Youth Philanthropy Initiative 

In November 2013 I was delighted to receive a phone call from Eilidh, a 3^rd year student at Tain Royal Academy. She and fellow pupils Georgia, Jordan and Becky, had chosen SiMBA as the charity they wished to represent at the Youth Philanthropy Initiative. As well as raising awareness of the charity, each group that wins for their charity receives a cheque for £3,000.

It was so heart-warming to meet with the students, who showed a great deal of understanding of the empathetic approach required in promoting SiMBA charity. We were delighted when they reached the final whoch was held on 28^th March 2014. Though the girls did not win we are so proud of how well they represented SiMBA and very grateful for their hard work.

Thank you also to our SiMBA Volunteers Marion Hamilton and Megan Foulis who worked very hard with the students.

Caithness andSutherland Midwifery Forum 

My SiMBA co-facilitator Irene and I were pleased to be invited to attend the February meeting of the Midwifery Forum for Caithness & Sutherland. This busy team covers one of the largest, most rural areas of NHS Highland, working in the community and at the Henderson Maternity Unit in Caithness General Hospital.

It was good to share with them about the work of SiMBA throughout the UK and specifically in the Highlands, and to talk about how together we can respond to the needs of their patients who go through the tragedy of miscarriage, stillbirth or neo-natal death.

SiMBA Office, Dunbar

In Feb 2014 Irene and I enjoyed our first visit to SiMBA HQ in Dunbar. Volunteers are welcomed here on a daily basis by Sara Fitzsimmons, Charity Director, Gillian Wells, Office Administrator, and Danielle, Office Receptionist. If you would like to volunteer to help pack Memory Boxes or get ready for some of the events SiMBA runs, contact Gillian on admin@simbacharity.org.uk.

Cake Sale at Scottish Marine Institute

SiMBA were delighted to receive £130 from The Scottish Marine Institute who held a Cake Sale at their workplace. This has been given to SiMBA via the SiMBA Great Glen Challenge.

Golspie Quiz Night

The Northern contingent of #KayakTeamSiMBA held a very successful Quiz Night, brilliantly compared by Malcolm. Funds raised on the night have been given to SiMBA via the SiMBA Great Glen Challenge.

Scottish Cot Death Trust

I was delighted to be invited by Lynda Bathgate, Community Services Nurse with the Scottish Cot Death Trust to join her at a Paediatric Bereavement Study Event held at Raigmore Hospital in March. It was an interesting event bringing together professionals from SUDI, Scottish Ambulance Service, Police Scotland, Hospital Services, Chaplaincy Services, Registrar’s Services and GP Services. Lynda and I hope to liaise on more events throughout the Highlands and Islands in the future.

SiMBA Cinderella Ball, 15th Mar 2014

The SiMBA Cinderella Ball was a prestigious Black Tie event at The George Hotel in Edinburgh ~ it was an incredible evening and was a unique way to support SiMBA. Our hosts for the evening are Grant Stott and Marie Clair Munro who helped SiMBA raise an incredible amount of money. The surprise for me of the evening was the announcement that SiMBA wish me to take on the role as Charity Ambassador to the Highlands and Islands, a huge honour and privilege.

Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes

On the 17^th March one of our SiMBA Volunteers Jane Philip was delighted on behalf of SiMBA to receive a cheque for £100 from the RAOB Elgin branch. We are very grateful to Drew and his fellow chapter members for their support of SiMBA.

Soroptomists International Inverness and Nairn

The members of the Inverness and Nairn branch of Soroptomist International continue to support the work of the charity in their area. They held a very successful coffee morning in March in Inverness to raise funds and awareness for the charity and I was honoured to be able to attend. We are very grateful for the work that the group does to promote the charity and enable us to reach those whom the charity can support.

Inverness High School

I was delighted to meet with a fantastic group of 3^rd year students in March at Inverness High School They have chosen SiMBA as the charity they wish to represent in their Youth Philanthropy Initiative. We want to thank them for choosing the charity and wish them all the best as they put their presentation together.

Miami Quiz Night Tue 15^th April 7.30pm

The SiMBA Quiz Night will be a great evening of fun as teams of 4 & 5 compete as they battle it out to become Quiz Champions! There will be a fantastic raffle on the evening and Miami Nightclub, 39 High St, Inverness, are offering great prices on their drinks.

For more information click HERE

Inverness Support Group meets Thur 24^th April 7pm 

The Inverness Support Group continues to meet on the last Thursday of the month from 7-9pm at the Hilton Lighthouse (http://www.hiltonlighthouse.org/). Do pop by for a coffee/tea and chat in a warm, welcoming setting, and bring any photos or memory items you wish to share.

It is not a professional counselling group, all our group facilitators have had training and certification from the Child Bereavement Charity.

Contact Susan on 07771358382 or email simbahighland@gmail.com for more information or to arrange a lift. Find us HERE on Facebook!

Oban Support Group meets Fri 26^th April 7pm

The Oban Support Group continues to meet on the last Friday of the month from 7-9pm at the Regent Hotel (http://www.bespokehotels.com/regenthotel). Do pop by for a coffee/tea and chat in a warm, welcoming setting, and bring any photos or memory items you wish to share.

It is not a professional counselling group, all our group facilitators have had training and certification from the Child Bereavement Charity.

Contact Susan on 07771358382 / 01631 720107 or email simbahighland@gmail.com for more information or to arrange a lift. Find us HERE on Facebook.

Annual Butterfly Release, Oban, 28^th June

SiMBA are delighted to host the first Annual Butterfly Release in the Oban area on 28^th June 2014.

If you would like to be added to the mailing list for this please email Susan on simbahighland@gmail.com. 

SiMBA 2014 Great Glen Challenge, 29^th Jul – 1^st Aug

Highland SiMBA are incredibly excited about this momentous challenge for 2014! 

From Tues 29^th July to Friday 1st Aug 2014, 29 brave souls will be paddling by kayak or Canadian canoe from Fort William to Inverness along the Great Glen. 92km, 22 miles of canal, 4 days, 4 lochs, and 1 monster!

Applications to join as a kayaker / canoeist have now closed but we are still looking for volunteers to help on shore. Contact Susan on 07771358382 or simbahighland@gmail.com for further information and to volunteer or sponsor a kayak/canoe.

Please do stop by and like our page HERE.

Annual Butterfly Release, Inverness, 2nd Aug

We are already taking enquiries about the Annual Butterfly Release to mark the planting of the Inverness Tree of Tranquility. It will be held on Sat 2nd Aug 2014. 

If you would like to be added to the mailing list for this please email Susan on simbahighland@gmail.com. 

Please do join us HERE on Facebook.

If you wish information on any of the items included here, would like to volunteer for SiMBA, or would like to invite me to talk to a group, please contact me on 07771358382 or email simbahighland@gmail.com.

Kind regards

Susan Simpson

SiMBA Highland Ambassador

Highland Midwives, BBCAlba

This is being shown tomorrow evening. It was filmed in November 2010, less than 8 weeks after we had lost Eilidh Beth to stillbirth and before I had started volunteering for SiMBA. I will always be grateful to Fiona Mundell for suggesting to Mairead, the producer that they chat to me as I fully believe that this helped me believe that I could achieve something that would help others touched by this loss. 

I think it was shortly after filming that I spoke to SiMBA cofounder and Charity Director Sara ... the rest is, as they say, history!

And what is even more special is that this episode features some amazing health professionals! Donna was Eilidh Beth's midwife and will forever be special to us. Marion was a great source of comfort at the surgery and as for Etta ... she is a rock! And is doing so much for SiMBA! 

"In this programme, community midwife Marion Young takes us to meet some mums and babies at home. Back in the hospital Donna Macleod is keeping a close eye on a mum who is having contractions after slipping on ice.

Annie MacLean goes about her daily routine in the Special Care Baby Unit while Eilidh Lucas explains the emotional roller coaster she's been on since her twin daughter was admitted. Next door in Labour Suite, midwife Janeen has been looking after Valerie and Trevor for the whole of her shift; will the baby be born before she finishes? Who better than experienced midwife Etta Mackay to give advice on breastfeeding? We catch up with Catherine Anne as she visits her community midwife and hear how Susan Simpson and her family use their own heartbreaking experience to help others."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b015ssqv

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.

Day 14 ~ "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world.

Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." ~Margaret Mead (1901-1978, American cultural anthropologist and speaker)

Today's snap of happiness was spent with two of the amazing volunteers we have for SiMBA in Oban! Each one if us has been affected by the loss of a baby, either through losing our baby or through losing a sibling. 

But each one if us is determined to do all that we can to raise funds and awareness for the charity that encourages us to celebrate that our babies or sibling babies were here. And in celebrating them and remembering them we can smile and we can find happiness and not feel guilty about it!

I was struck by how fortunate I am to work with a small but brilliant group of people in Argyll, the Highlands and Islands willing to go that extra mile for SiMBA! Together we are reaching the most remote and rural areas of this part of Scotland and not only does that make me happy but also makes me incredibly proud! And makes my role as Highland Ambassador for SiMBA so much easier! 

Thank you so much to each and every volunteer we have! Together we are making such a difference!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day14

Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts."

Day 11 ~ "Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts."

I grew up in a family and extended family where humour was a daily occurrence whether you liked it or not!! ;)

When I popped in to Mum and Dad's today, as I made my coffee I noticed four peeled spuds! I had a few spare minutes .... and a pen ....

Later in the day I got a message from Mum who had discovered the four spuds staring at her in the kitchen! 

So today's happiness was a renewed appreciation of my family members' sense of humour and fun!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day11

"It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." ~Sir Edmund Hillary

Day 12 ~ "It is not the mountain

we conquer, but ourselves." ~Sir Edmund Hillary 

Today's happy moment captured is at Oban Canoe Club's pool session, trying to get my stroke right! I am incredibly excited about the Great Glen Challenge for SiMBA and am so thankful for the amazing group of 29 folk who have banded together to do this!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day12

would you not then still have your childhood, that precious, kingly possession, that treasure-house of memories?

Day 10 ~ "And even if you were in some prison, the walls of which let none of the sounds of the world come to your senses - would you not then still have your childhood, that precious, kingly possession, that treasure-house of memories?" ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Today's happy moment really makes me smile! Niamh found this old photo of Ali and Cheech! Not a clue where it came from! I swear I haven't seen it on years!

But now lots if happy memories clamber in when I look at this! What a joy to share happy memories with a close family!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day10

SiMBA Donation Thank You

Many thanks to Jane Philip for representing SiMBA this evening and accepting the very generous donation of £100 from the Elgin branch of The Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes (RAOB). 

The RAOB is one of the largest fraternal organisations in the United Kingdom and was started in 1822. 

The RAOB assists and supports members, their families, dependents of former members and other charitable organisations, living by their motto "No Man Is At All Times Wise" with the maxim of "Justice, Truth and Philanthropy".

SiMBA is very grateful to Elgin RAOB for their kind donation and support. 

Highland SiMBA & the Inverness Tree of Tranquility

This is a wee video showing how we support those affected by the loss of a baby.

"When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses."

Day 9 ~ "When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses." ~Joyce Brothers

Today, as every day, I hold on to the happiness that is my family! We are so blessed with all that we are able to do and experience together. We have made so many incredible memories! 

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day9

And thou shalt in thy daughter see, This picture, once, resembled thee.

Day 7 ~ "And thou shalt in thy daughter see,

This picture, once, resembled thee."

~Ambrose Philips 

Today's photo of happiness needs so little explanation doesn't it?! Our daughters truly are the light of my life, my joy, my inspiration and my happiness. They make me complete! And they are crazy little chicks with a wicked sense if humour and an endless amount of fun!

Charis & Niamh, thank you for being my pride and my everlasting happiness!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day7

"We all grow up with the weight of history on us."

Day 6 ~ "We all grow up with the weight of history on us. Our ancestors dwell in the attics of our brains as they do in the spiraling chains of knowledge hidden in every cell of our bodies." ~Shirley Abbott  

Today's happiness was in meeting members of our family that we never knew we had! John Harvey traced my Dad through the Commando Association. John's Dad and Dad's Dad were brothers - and Dad's Dad died 2 months before Dad was born. 

It was wonderful to spend some time with long lost family and feel such a sense of kindredness and to feel so completely at home with them! 

So looking forward to more time spent with John, Anne and their family. Niamh in particular is very taken with her new 3rd cousins!! :)

#100HappyDays #CitrilsHappyDays #Day6

Every great dream begins with a dreamer

Day 4 ~ "Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."

~Harriet Tubman

Today's happy moment was in the sunset over Ardmucknish Bay, reminding me of how blessed we are to have this view and be surrounded by God's creation.  

Since having Charis I had a dream of being my family home to Argyll. Andrew has always loved this area too, but it took a period of too much loss for us to finally reach home. But out of the darkness light always shines and we have now been home for over a year!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day4

"This is how I define talent; it is a gift that God has given us in secret, which we reveal without knowing it." ~Charles De Montesquieu

Day 3 ~ "This is how I define talent; it is a gift that God has given us in secret, which we reveal without knowing it." ~Charles De Montesquieu

Today's happy moment came in the post! Charis received this with a letter saying that her Monster Poem, Dark Twilight, is being published. So pleased for her and proud of her and so delighted that she is in a school that encourages and supports pupils to pursue their dreams and stretch themselves!

Huge thanks to her teacher Miss Marwick for encouraging Charis and her fellow students in their poetry!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day3

All of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it." ~ Samuel Butler

Day 2 ~ "All of the animals except for man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it." ~ Samuel Butler

Today's happiness lay in watching Sooty, the girls' black cat, watching Tara, Charis's rat! 

We are so blessed to have these creatures in our homes, trusting us to love them and care for them. Granted I could do without the presents of headless mice but we are very thankful for the four furballs who share our home and hearts. 

When we lose our baby absolutely nothing can replace them or fill the emptiness in our heart, soul and life. But what a God send our pets can be. They often seem to have a deep understanding that we need them to remain close by our sides as we adjust to a life without something so precious and vital to our health and well being as our baby. 

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day2

'Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it.'

Day 1 ~ "Life is short, live it. Love is rare, grab it. Anger is bad, dump it. Fear is awful, face it. Memories are sweet, cherish them." -Author Unknown

This photo encapsulates so much that makes me happy!

• The daughter I never thought we'd have, having been told by 2 different doctors I couldn't have children. 

• A reminder of my happy childhood and my days with the ponies when Achnalarig Stables were at Connel, riding with so many great folk.

• The realisation of my dream to bring Andrew and the girls to live in and grow up in Argyll!

#100HappyDays #Citrils100HappyDays #Day1

Can you be happy for 100 days?

I doubt that any of us can! However it is so important, I feel, for us to always try and find the positive in our day, even on the hardest and toughest of days! So I thought it would be good to join the many friends who are taking up the #100HappyDays Challenge. 




It can be too easy to get caught up in our busy lives. And when you have suffered great loss, whether that be your health, your job, a loved one or your baby, it can be so incredibly difficult to see the positive in anything anymore. The days and hours just meld in to one long period of misery and heart ache.

So as an aid to help us focus on the positives in our lives, to find that moment of happiness that CAN be found in every single day .... yes, trust me, even in the days when it feels like your world has completely ended ... thousands of us have registered for the #100HappyDays Challenge.

It's easy! Once we have registered, all we do is once a day upload a picture of what has made us happy that day. It can be anything from having a cuppa with a pal to that first coffee of the day, from that feeling of being in a special place to helping out someone in need.

The challenge is for YOU and you alone ~ it is not a platform for showing everyone how wonderful your life is ~ it is not a competition to prove that you are happier than everyone around you ~ it is not a means to make others jealous or to show off. It is simply a means for you to fully focus on what you can see in your life, your day, your world that makes you happy.

You can choose to share your photo on Facebook, twitter or instagram ~ just make sure you add the public hashtag #100HappyDays.

So, though this is not related to SiMBA and the work we do in the Highlands, it very much follows the ethos of SiMBA ~ #100HappyDays collects 100 day's worth of beautiful, lasting memories just as SiMBA enables us to gather treasured memories of our baby's short time here on earth ~ memories that will sustain us and uplift us through a life time of loss.

So ... who will join me?

“What really raises one's indignation against suffering is not suffering intrinsically, but the senselessness of suffering.” ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

Eilidh Colligan lives in East Kilbride and hails frae Glasgow. She is one of the amazing 22 strong #KiltwalkTeamSiMBA! Here Eilidh shares openly and honestly the emotional and poignant reasons she has for joining in such an incredibly tough challenge! I shed a tear when Eilidh first shared this with me and then again writing it here for you and I am so grateful to her for the raw honesty of her account.

One thing I say often, and am so glad that it is part of the ethos and belief of SiMBA, and will say here again ~ it does not matter if our baby was only in our womb for 5 weeks, 5 months or was full term when we lost them. They are our baby no matter what age they are when we are forced to say goodbye to them and that pain and hurt and grief is equal. We are parents and siblings and grandparents who have lost our baby. Full stop. The grief of a full term loss and the grief of a miscarriage are equal because we have lost our hopes and dreams for our baby, we have lost a treasured, precious part of our family, we have lost ....

"Hi, I'm Eilidh .... a SiMBA Kiltwalker. I have several reasons that have spurred me on to walk for this charity.

One of the reasons I have taken this on is because of Joanne Docherty. We knew each other in school and she truly inspired me to get fit and raise money for good causes. Her enthusiasm and drive is second to none. She is an absolute inspiration. As an RE teacher I am involved in fundraisers in my school community but I never really threw myself into it preferring to organise events that the kids could raise for.

I was absolutely inspired by Joanne to join the Kiltwalk and #TeamSiMBA. I looked at the charity and have utter belief that this is a charity that deserves focus. Probably because of my own life experiences.

In November 2003 I suffered a miscarriage at 11 1/2 weeks . I was devastated! Life seemed so unfair and I felt had robbed me of something that I desperately sought and longed for. At that time I had told people I was pregnant. I was so close to the landmark 12 weeks that it never entered my mind that I would be robbed of a heartbeat at that first scan. I was beyond devastated!

When I went for the D&C the following day after the scan I was empty, heartbroken and truly I felt I was to blame. I totally felt I had let my husband and both our families down. I hadn't ofcourse but it was a bleak place.

At 11 1/2 weeks though I had never felt the flutter of movement, those kicks in my womb and the visible feet and fists through my stretched belly that so many mothers feel through the trimesters of pregnancy. I have since then enjoyed that having carried and delivered two beautiful girls. The heartache that parents must go through after experiencing those sensations and then to be robbed at the final furlong I cannot even begin to fathom.

I was early in my pregnancy when I miscarried and only a few knew of my pregnancy, but those who knew walked by me in the street, crossed the aisles in shops and avoided my gaze. That was so lonely. 

I can only imagine what a mother and father have to endure when their baby reaches full term and does not make it. The uncomfortable strain that some in society place upon then when they have no words to comfort and would rather avoid the parents and discussion than just say 'I am so sorry'. It is unbearable.

Maybe I am wrong but I think people struggle for words when little sense can be made of the senselessness of the situation. I knew that by walking for SiMBA I could make a small difference to someone trying to come to terms with the senselessness in a society that may struggle to comfort.

I have some people very close and very dear to me, too many infact, who have experienced the pain, the grief, and the heartache of miscarriage, childlessness, stillbirth and neonatal death. I have been affected by their losses ~ each and every one of them, each and every baby lost has spurred me on in this challenge.

I felt I had been robbed in my first pregnancy but feel it was nothing in comparison to those who have traveled further and longer than I. SiMBA recognises that a little person was here, maybe not long enough for us to discover the light that is their personality, but they were here and should not be forgotten. Those memories are all that some have, they are precious keepsakes to aid the grieving and to remember the person that was here all too briefly. It is important that parents get those gifts to remember and honour the fact that they were a parent all too briefly, but are a parent nonetheless.

I will walk proud for SiMBA in Glasgow!

Eilidh xxx"

“Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not.” ~ Longfellow

Marion is our amazing Catering Coordinator and is already working hard to make sure that all 25 participants and our guides on the SiMBA 2014 Great Glen Challenge are well fed every day! Here she shares why it is important to her to take part in challenge for SIMBA, Simpson's Memory Box Appeal.

"My husband,  son-in-law, daughter, and son are ALL taking part in this challenge, as are many of my daughter's friends, so it was only natural that I get involved. 

We lost our grandson at 35 weeks and had to watch our daughter Megan endure a long and painful labour with the knowledge that that she would be giving birth to a still born baby. It really was the worst day of my life.

As a grandparent you suffer from the loss of a baby, but you also share in the pain of your own child.

But Megan told me that I couldn't be sad anymore and that we have to positive. Her immense bravery and strength motivate me to do all that I can to support SiMBA!"

"Faith isn’t faith until it’s all you’re holding on to”

I am always so inspired when I meet people who do amazing things for something or someone they are passionate about! Aileen is one of those people! 

We first met Aileen and Geordo at parent craft classes just over 9 years ago. None of us knew then that this was their second child they were attending the classes for. 

I am so glad I can share her story with you. 

"My name is Aileen and I’d like to share a wee bit about my story as to why I’m doing this challenge! 

In 2003 I married Graham (or Geordo as he’s also known!). Only a couple of months later on the Saturday between Christmas and New Year I did a test and discovered I was pregnant! I was totally accurate with my dates and was delighted to work out that our baby was due September 3rd 2004.  

6 weeks into pregnancy I started spotting so that meant a scan which showed our ‘nut’ with a little heart beating strongly. Further bleeding and another couple of scans showed the same strong heart beat, but our dates had changed. First to September 10, then to September 13, finally September 17.  

If this hadn’t been our first pregnancy, I think I’d have been more on the ball regarding the dates moving. After all, I knew I’d tested at the earliest moment and my arithmetic isn’t that bad!!!!

My doctor advised me to not do too much – sit and rest when possible – not that easy as a PE teacher!  This wasn’t to protect the baby so much as to protect myself mentally just in case something did go wrong ... I wouldn’t blame myself.  

Easter Monday 12 April, I went to see the midwife for my first Doppler listening in! Geordo was off work so came with me – we were rather excited! Much as she tried, the midwife couldn’t find a heartbeat.

So, Raigmore beckoned for us. I still thought it was ok – we were reassured that this can sometimes happen. The normal scanning place wasn’t available so we were put to the x-ray department.

It was awful – that absolutely horrendous sinking feeling as the person scanning left the room to get a second opinion.  It wasn’t real … yet it was.

Off to ward 9 to meet with a midwife and I truly thank God for giving me Ann that day – I know Ann’s brother really well and I knew she’d gone through the same thing a number of years ago with her own twins.  I knew she understood.

We went home with the understanding that we would come back in the morning for me to be induced.  

After the longest day of my life little Rosie Thomson was born at 11:13pm.  I asked if I should see her – and the Doctor advised no.  That was it.  All over.  

We spent the night in ‘the room’ in ward 10.

The marvellous Iain MacRitchie (hospital chaplain) our friend from church, came to see us the next morning.  He asked if we would like to give our baby a funeral.  At that point we didn’t know if she was male or female – this would be discovered in the coming days.

When we discovered we had a wee girl, I was determined her name would be a cheery name.  And that’s when we came up with the name Rosie.  We later discovered that Rosie was a ‘triploidy’ baby.  In other words, instead of the set of chromosomes she should have got from each parent, she got a full extra set from me.  She would never have survived.

We are blessed with a sister and brother for Rosie - Helen is 9 and Gavin is nearly 7!  

Most people I tell about this challenge think I'm mad, but they have been really encouraging recognising that raising money for SIMBA  is an excellent way to keep Rosie's memory alive!  Rosie will have her 10th birthday this year.  I will also turn 40! So the challenge is not only in her memory, but to kick me up the backside to remind me of the sheer adrenalin kick that a challenge like this will bring.  I’m terrified, but excited!  And certainly, determined."

Post by SiMBA Kayak and Canoe Challenge.

"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart." ~Kongzi

Joanne Docherty is from Glasgow and here she shares her very moving account about how she got involved in The Kiltwalk and decided to donate 50% of her fundraising to SIMBA. Joanne is not just doing one Kiltwalk, but 5 PLUS a Kiltwalk in MachuPicchu in Peru! 

Joanne on one of her 2013 Kiltwalks

“I first got involved with the Kiltwalk in 2013, raising funds in aid of Yorkhill Hospital as they became a charity partner of the Kiltwalk. I did the Glasgow 26 miles from Hampden to Loch Lomand, and in April and May I took part in the Edinburgh ones, leaving from Murrayfield, through the city, past Parliament and back to Murrayfiled.

Then I heard of a wee girl called Aine, a beautiful wee girl that needed our help. That's where my great friend and support Emma comes in. She was so kind and signed up to do THREE whole Kiltwalks (26 miles each one) all in one month in 2013. All together thousands were raised and I couldn't have been prouder.

For 2014 we have upped our challenges to attempt to get more money. Now there is a whole team of us, all working hard to promote SiMBA and raise funds on the Kiltwalks, with 50% of what we raise going to SiMBA. This year I will be doing 5 Kiltwalks and the September Machu Picchu Kiltwalk in Peru and Emma is planning 4 Kiltwalks and Machu Picchu! The rest of the team are doing a minimum of one 26 mile Kiltwalk each.

I have a personal reason for choosing to do these challenges for SiMBA. When I was 12 my baby brother David passed away at just 4 weeks old. He had a hole in his heart and though he came through that fighting hard sadly his wee heart valves were round the wrong way. Sadly at that time there were no charities like SiMBA which makes us work especially hard to do as much as is physically possible to help. I think about him every single day and my wee brother is my motivation and inspiration always. After we lost him I promised I would help families and children from then on.

This is going to be an extraordinary chance of a life time to help an amazing charity and honour our angels in the sky. I have asthma, and have been hospitalised a few times with it, so I’m hoping I don’t get carted off by mule in Peru! And I’m not too fussed about snakes, but I can't wait! 

SiMBA is an amazing cause for such brave people.”

You can sponsor Joanne and the Team HERE