Hi, my name is Claire.

My Challenge

Is to hike to the summit of Kilimanjaro in June 2024! The entire adventure is being self funded and all fundraising is directly for SUDC UK, a charity that we are sadly very connected to, but that has been such a massive support to our family over the last 6 years in memory of our little boy, Harry.

SUDC – Sudden unexplained death in childhood

SUDC UK aims to help make SUDC predictable and preventable by raising awareness and funding crucial research. Families must be supported following such devastating loss. Following registration with SUDC UK, families are immediately connected with expert professional and peer support. SUDC UK collaborates with our global partner, the SUDC Foundation to deliver this service.

Our story

Our gorgeous baby boy, Harry, died while having his afternoon nap, on April, 6th 2018. Harry was only just over 21 months old.

All the specialists, professors and paediatricians we have seen and spoken to believe that Harry was a victim of SUDC (Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood.) We are still fighting to find out why he was taken from us so tragically and suddenly. Harry had a cold, but he was still playing and running about that morning. Doctors believe his cold was secondary and not the reason that Harry died so quickly in the space of a 45 minute nap.

I'm Harry's Mum and I went to wake Harry from his nap with his older sister, Brooke, who was 3 years old at the time. Harry didn't respond and I felt a surge of terrifying panic. Harry was face down in his cot, unresponsive and his face was blue. Paramedics and doctors at the hospital did everything they could to save Harry's life...but, he had gone.

We are now 5 years into living our lives with this profound loss and whilst the pain and heartache will always be a part of us, we try to live a happy and fulfilled life with Brooke and her twin brothers, Charlie and Jack, who were born in 2019.

Last year I climbed Snowdon with an amazing group of SUDC Mums. We all share a heartache that only another SUDC parent would understand. We climbed together with our children in our hearts, supporting one another all the way to the top. I took away more than the achievement of reaching the summit. It left me with a sense of peace and calmness, that I hadn’t felt for so long. It’s that connection to nature and the wild vastness of the mountain that made me feel like we were all here to be part of something bigger than ourselves…

I am hiking to the stars for Harry and all our little ones gone too soon.

Thank you for reading.

Claire xx

You can read more on my blog:

https://wordpress.com/posts/smilewithharrybobo.com

Facebook: @hiking_to_the_stars

IG: @hiking_to_the_stars