JUNE 26, 2018 \ STARWEEKLY.COM.AU
NEWS + SPORT + PROPERTY GUIDE
(Marco De Luca)
In honour of Oliver
By Esther Lauaki A Melton mother wants to spare others the same heartache she is enduring. December 12 last year is a day that Katie Williams will never forget – when she lost her son Oliver, just 24 days old, who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. Six months on, she’s launched an online crowdfunding campaign for Red Nose Day this Friday to create a legacy for her baby boy. “He was a healthy little boy, everything was fine,” Ms Williams told Star Weekly. “That morning he woke up as normal and
had his morning bottle, I burped him and changed his nappy and he went back to sleep. “When I came back later to wake up his brother, I checked on Oliver and he was fine. “I then came back to check on him about a half an hour after and I found him blue and cold.” She performed CPR on her son and paramedics’ efforts to save Oliver’s life were unsuccessful. “I knew of SIDS, but I never really thought it would happen to me,” Ms Williams said. “I’ve had three kids before Oliver, so I just never expected this.
“Now that it has happened to me and I’ve been part of support groups on Facebook, I have seen how many people have actually lost a child to SIDS and it’s something that’s not spoken of that much. “I just want to make a difference and help others and hopefully see a future where no babies die of SIDS ever again.” Hundreds of children die suddenly and unexpectedly each year from stillbirth, SIDS and fatal sleep accidents. This year is the 30th anniversary of Red Nose Day and the charity will mark the milestone this Friday (June 29) by launching
three research and education projects focused on reducing late-term stillbirth from 28 weeks gestation, a SIDS book and a Safe Sleeping e-Learning Course for early childhood educators. Ms Williams said she was inspired by the work of the Red Nose charity and wanted to support its research by raising at least $1000. “I want to do what I can to help prevent others go through the same thing. “Even if it’s $100, that’s great, but if it’s $1000 even better.” Donate: bit.ly/2ts2dJf
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