On September 29th 2015 we received the life-shattering news that our baby had severe abnormalities that were incompatible with life. Four weeks later, we went through with the seemingly impossible procedure to end his suffering, before I gave birth to our beautiful boy, Joseph, on October 25th. There are no words to describe the pain of handing over your son to a midwife for the last time. 

What we are going through is an isolating rare experience shared by only a few. Love and ending a life simply do not reconcile and without ARC's expert guidance we would not have got this far. They will continue to support us as we learn to live our lives with Joseph only in our hearts.

ARC is a charity run by a small team that currently runs at a large deficit. It is an essential resource and resort for parents caught in the huge conflict between modern scientific fact and natural instinct. It is the only charity of its kind in the UK. As well as providing counselling, they bring together bereaved parents for whom ARC's online forum is a lifeline, and help them to pick up the pieces in the face of heart-breaking losses. They also train healthcare professionals on explaining diagnoses, delivering bad news and dealing with grief-stricken parents.

We are raising money in Joseph’s memory to support this fantastic cause helping others who also find themselves facing this painful unimaginable journey. We will be taking part in/organising fundraising events and are very grateful for any donation no matter how small. If you would like to get involved and join us in taking part in any events let us know. 

We would like to thank our family, friends, colleagues and friends of friends for all of your love and support.  

Love the Rotherforths

xxx

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.