Latest news with #SUDC
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dad running ultra-marathon for 'special angel'
A former professional rugby player is set to run an ultra-marathon in memory of his "angel" daughter who died suddenly at two years old. Bristol Bears coach Glen Townson, who played for the team before his retirement, will run 44 miles from Ashton Gate to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to deliver the match-day ball for the Bears v Bath game on Saturday. He and three friends are raising money for the Amber Townson Foundation, set up in memory of his daughter Amber who died in August 2023 of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). "When it initially happens, you're all over the place. You think 'Why you? How has this happened to us?'," Mr Townson told the BBC. "I definitely feel like [preparing for] an endurance race allows you that thinking time and come to terms with it." SUDC is the unexpected death of a child aged between one and 18 that remains unexplained, and affects about 40 children every year in the UK. Amber, Mr Townson said, was a "cheeky" two-year-old, "a bit of an entertainer" and a "loving, caring little girl" who idolised her older sister. Mr Townson said the day before she died was "just a normal day", and when she appeared to have slept later than usual the following morning, the family "thought nothing too much of it". But when Mr Townson went in to wake her, he immediately realised something was wrong. "She just wasn't responsive, she was so cold," he said. Despite immediately carrying out cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and the further efforts of paramedics who rushed to the scene, Amber could not be revived. "She wasn't ill. We hadn't recognised anything. And at that point in time it was just pure shock, really, of like 'what's going on?'," Mr Townson said. The family were rushed to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, where they met with specialists to try to understand what could have happened to Amber. "We were like 'well surely there has to be a cause, there has to be. She can't just die'," Mr Townson said. The family had never heard of SUDC and had been shocked to find out one in four childhood deaths are counted with such a cause. It was the confirmation of this, months after Amber's death, that led he and his wife Tara setting up the foundation with the aim of supporting other families as well as promoting research into similar deaths. "It will never bring your child back, but it will hopefully maybe help parents come to terms with what it is," Mr Townson said. While the diagnosis of SUDC had been hard to come to terms with, he explained it left room for an "element of hope" that perhaps there would one day be answers. "We've had the option to keep tissue samples of Amber, so if in 10, 20 years time new developments happen they actually could run tests on those and have some more answers," he said. Looking toward the run on Saturday, Mr Townson said he felt a "a combination of excitement and a little bit of nerves as well, just with the sheer scale of the challenge". "I'm certainly not built for long distance running," he joked, but added the prospect of an ultra-marathon was dwarfed by what he and his family had already been through. "Having this purpose of helping others has has helped us navigate our way through," he said. Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Parents of sudden-death children 'let down by NHS' 'We deserve answers as to why our children died' 'No-one can tell me why my son died in his sleep' Amber Townson Foundation Bristol Bears
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dad running ultra-marathon for 'special angel'
A former professional rugby player is set to run an ultra-marathon in memory of his "angel" daughter who died suddenly at two years old. Bristol Bears coach Glen Townson, who played for the team before his retirement, will run 44 miles from Ashton Gate to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to deliver the match-day ball for the Bears v Bath game on Saturday. He and three friends are raising money for the Amber Townson Foundation, set up in memory of his daughter Amber who died in August 2023 of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). "When it initially happens, you're all over the place. You think 'Why you? How has this happened to us?'," Mr Townson told the BBC. "I definitely feel like [preparing for] an endurance race allows you that thinking time and come to terms with it." SUDC is the unexpected death of a child aged between one and 18 that remains unexplained, and affects about 40 children every year in the UK. Amber, Mr Townson said, was a "cheeky" two-year-old, "a bit of an entertainer" and a "loving, caring little girl" who idolised her older sister. Mr Townson said the day before she died was "just a normal day", and when she appeared to have slept later than usual the following morning, the family "thought nothing too much of it". But when Mr Townson went in to wake her, he immediately realised something was wrong. "She just wasn't responsive, she was so cold," he said. Despite immediately carrying out cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and the further efforts of paramedics who rushed to the scene, Amber could not be revived. "She wasn't ill. We hadn't recognised anything. And at that point in time it was just pure shock, really, of like 'what's going on?'," Mr Townson said. The family were rushed to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, where they met with specialists to try to understand what could have happened to Amber. "We were like 'well surely there has to be a cause, there has to be. She can't just die'," Mr Townson said. The family had never heard of SUDC and had been shocked to find out one in four childhood deaths are counted with such a cause. It was the confirmation of this, months after Amber's death, that led he and his wife Tara setting up the foundation with the aim of supporting other families as well as promoting research into similar deaths. "It will never bring your child back, but it will hopefully maybe help parents come to terms with what it is," Mr Townson said. While the diagnosis of SUDC had been hard to come to terms with, he explained it left room for an "element of hope" that perhaps there would one day be answers. "We've had the option to keep tissue samples of Amber, so if in 10, 20 years time new developments happen they actually could run tests on those and have some more answers," he said. Looking toward the run on Saturday, Mr Townson said he felt a "a combination of excitement and a little bit of nerves as well, just with the sheer scale of the challenge". "I'm certainly not built for long distance running," he joked, but added the prospect of an ultra-marathon was dwarfed by what he and his family had already been through. "Having this purpose of helping others has has helped us navigate our way through," he said. Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Parents of sudden-death children 'let down by NHS' 'We deserve answers as to why our children died' 'No-one can tell me why my son died in his sleep' Amber Townson Foundation Bristol Bears
BBC News
09-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
SUDC: Ex-rugby player running ultra-marathon for 'angel' daughter
A former professional rugby player is set to run an ultra-marathon in memory of his "angel" daughter who died suddenly at two years old. Bristol Bears coach Glen Townson, who played for the team before his retirement, will run 44 miles from Ashton Gate to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to deliver the match-day ball for the Bears v Bath game on and three friends are raising money for the Amber Townson Foundation, set up in memory of his daughter Amber who died in August 2023 of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC)."When it initially happens, you're all over the place. You think 'Why you? How has this happened to us?'," Mr Townson told the BBC. "I definitely feel like [preparing for] an endurance race allows you that thinking time and come to terms with it."SUDC is the unexpected death of a child aged between one and 18 that remains unexplained, and affects about 40 children every year in the UK. 'Just a normal day' Amber, Mr Townson said, was a "cheeky" two-year-old, "a bit of an entertainer" and a "loving, caring little girl" who idolised her older Townson said the day before she died was "just a normal day", and when she appeared to have slept later than usual the following morning, the family "thought nothing too much of it".But when Mr Townson went in to wake her, he immediately realised something was wrong. "She just wasn't responsive, she was so cold," he said. Despite immediately carrying out cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and the further efforts of paramedics who rushed to the scene, Amber could not be revived."She wasn't ill. We hadn't recognised anything. And at that point in time it was just pure shock, really, of like 'what's going on?'," Mr Townson said. The family were rushed to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children, where they met with specialists to try to understand what could have happened to Amber. "We were like 'well surely there has to be a cause, there has to be. She can't just die'," Mr Townson said. The family had never heard of SUDC and had been shocked to find out one in four childhood deaths are counted with such a cause. It was the confirmation of this, months after Amber's death, that led he and his wife Tara setting up the foundation with the aim of supporting other families as well as promoting research into similar deaths. "It will never bring your child back, but it will hopefully maybe help parents come to terms with what it is," Mr Townson said. While the diagnosis of SUDC had been hard to come to terms with, he explained it left room for an "element of hope" that perhaps there would one day be answers. "We've had the option to keep tissue samples of Amber, so if in 10, 20 years time new developments happen they actually could run tests on those and have some more answers," he said. Looking toward the run on Saturday, Mr Townson said he felt a "a combination of excitement and a little bit of nerves as well, just with the sheer scale of the challenge". "I'm certainly not built for long distance running," he joked, but added the prospect of an ultra-marathon was dwarfed by what he and his family had already been through. "Having this purpose of helping others has has helped us navigate our way through," he said.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Austin brothers to bike over 5,000 miles to raise funds for charity
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Mayor Kirk Watson declared May 5 as Jenkins Brothers' Bike Day in honor of Bobby and Raleigh Jenkins upcoming 5,500-mile bike ride from Anchorage, Alaska to College Station, Texas. Bobby Jenkins is the owner of ABC Home & Commercial Services, a local business that provides pest control, air conditioning repair and other services for homeowners. The trip will be the second cross-country bike ride the business owner has embarked on with his brother Raleigh. Bobby said he's riding to raise awareness and donations for Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). His grandson Moss died from SUDC in 2014, and Moss' parents established the Moss Pieratt foundation to raise awareness for SUDC. Bobby Jenkins also ran the New York City marathon in Moss' honor in 2022. Raleigh Jenkins is riding to raise aid funding for children in Haiti, a country that has suffered widespread gang-violence and famine in recent years. The Jenkins brothers joined KXAN Anchor Will Dupree in the studio to discuss the upcoming journey and the funds they hope to raise for two children's charities. Read a transcription of the interview below, or watch in the video player above. Some responses have been edited for clarity. Will DuPree: Thank you both so much for being here. We appreciate it. Bobby Jenkins: Thank you. Appreciate the opportunity. Dupree: Now that is a very long way, 5,500 miles, so talk to us about what inspired that. Bobby Jenkins: Yeah, you know, for both of us and for me, it is about you mentioned my grandson, Moss. Moss passed away 11 years ago from what's called sudden unexplained death in childhood, which means we don't know why he died. It's unexplained, and this is the number four cause of death for toddlers, so it's important, but we want to find answers. And the reason we want to find answers is not just about what happened to Moss, but can we prevent it from happening to other children? And then Raleigh's riding for Mission Lazarus. Raleigh Jenkins: Children in Haiti and their survival that they're going through right now, and the struggles they're doing. DuPree: So this will be essentially a dual fundraiser with a very personal connection for you all. Bobby Jenkins: Absolutely, we've done this before. It was eight years ago. We rode from Seattle to New York City. That was 3,500 miles. This is, as you said, 5,500 miles, and we're eight years older, but the cause is so important to us, and I really particularly on the funding of the research at NYU Langone. We've got to find answers. We've got to raise awareness. We've got to find answers. So we're both very passionate for both of these causes, and we really need people's help to make it a successful journey. DuPree: Absolutely. So are you all setting a certain goal in terms of fundraising? Bobby Jenkins: We are. We're working on the goal. Quite frankly, we'd like to be around a million dollars between the two of us. It's a big goal, but it's both big needs and the work that needs to be done. It's going to take that. And so I really think this will be our last big bike ride. I'll be almost 67 when we finish, and I don't think I'm going to want to go across the country again, but it is important, and I am passionate about it, and the need is big. DuPree: I know people at home are going to be hearing about this and thinking, you know, what can we do to help you all? Or how can they help the certain causes you all are supporting? So fill in the blank for them. What should they do? Bobby Jenkins: So, You can go there, and you can see my picture and Raleigh's picture, and you can donate to both or one. But that's a big part of it, and it's awareness. Having the opportunity to talk about this, awareness about what sudden unexplained death in childhood is, awareness about Mission Lazarus and the challenges in Haiti. Both of those people can learn more about it at but we'd sure appreciate their prayers, and we'd sure appreciate their support as far as the bike ride. DuPree: Other people at home might be also wondering how you're preparing for this, because I know that's coming up in like, a month or so, right? Raleigh Jenkins: We're almost six weeks away right now, so yeah, it's here. I will admit I had ChatGPT build my workout program. So I have a program that's a daily activity of what I'm doing, how I'm working out, and what my rides look like. DuPree: It keeps you on that. Raleigh Jenkins: It does. It is, it's wonderful. Bobby Jenkins: Raleigh cheated and really got the perfect workout. I'm a little dated, and I'm trying to just go ride my bicycle more and spend some more time in the in the saddle, and getting the legs ready, and all of that. But, you know, we'll be ready for it. And part of it is, you ride into shape. We'll average about 70 to 75 miles per day, and it'll take two and a half months to get from Anchorage and we are going to finish right there at Kyle Field at Texas A&M. DuPree: Yeah right back here close to home. Bobby Jenkins: That's right. DuPree: Well, Bobby and Raleigh thank you both so much for joining us and I wish you the best of luck not only in the fundraiser, but also with that ride. Bobby Jenkins: Thank you, appreciate it. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KXAN Austin.
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Men complete six 'brutal' ultramarathons in six days
Two friends have completed six "brutal" ultramarathons in six days to raise money for charity. Simon Pilkington, from Bristol, covered about 180 miles (289.6km) along with Rob Dowling, from West Sussex. The men were raising money for the Oliver's Wish Foundation, set up after Mr Dowling's two-year-old son died in 2015 from Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC). Mr Pilkington said the challenge had been "amazing, yet incredibly and brutally tough". The men started with the London Marathon on 27 April - and spent the next five days running about 30 miles (48km) per day during a heatwave. "The added heat was just something else. It absolutely sapped every part of our energy," said Mr Pilkington. More news stories for Bristol Watch the latest Points West Listen to the latest news for Bristol With the support of friends - who joined them during certain points of the route - the pair managed to raise more than £51,000 for Oliver's Wish, which helps charities supporting babies, children and young people. Mr Pilkington said he spent six months training for the challenge, building his aerobic fitness through boxing and long distance running. His training regime included waking up at 05:00 in the middle of winter to go running and taking ice baths for recovery. He said building this discipline helped him to stay focused during the challenge. Initially, Mr Dowling had only signed up for The London Marathon, but later decided to join Mr Pilkington - who he met at a previous fundraising event - for the full challenge. After completing the London Marathon the pair collected their medals and continued running for another five miles (8km) up to Paddington. They spent the next five days running 30miles (48km) each day, following the canal paths back home to Bristol. Mr Pilkington said the biggest struggle was to wake up each day and resume running again, but that motivation came from seeing the donations coming in. "One day we saw another grand come in, another day another five grand, until we got to £51,000," he said. A crowd of family, friends and neighbours greeted them when they finally arrived in Westbury-on-Trym at about 18:30 BST on Friday. "It was an amazing reception coming into Westbury," said Mr Pilkington. "There was 40 children and their parents up on The Downs giving us a guard of honour. "I'm proud of us as a group for managing to do it." The money raised through the challenge will allow Oliver's Wish to help fund charity research into the cause of sudden unexplained death in children. The funds will be donated to SUDC UK, Chestnut Tree House Children's Hospice and the The Cystic Fibrosis Trust. "The charities we support desperately need the funds," said Mr Dowling. "We know that the money is going to be put specifically to medical research, which we hope will one day make this awful mystery of a diagnosis a thing of the past." Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Man 'excited' for six ultra marathons in six days Fundraiser aiming for ultra marathon glory at 87 Man with cystic fibrosis to run London Marathon Oliver's Wish
