Four energetic youngsters who crossed the finish line after running 1.5k in memory of their siblings, have raised over £1,114 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity. 

Five-year-old Archy Fallows, Emelia Vandamme-Adams, who is six, and her cousins Georgia (seven) and Holly (five) took on the Mini Run as part of the Great Birmingham Run, to say thank you to staff at Birmingham Children’s Hospital who took care of Archy’s brother, Zachary, and Emelia’s twin sister, Chloe. 

Zachary and Chloe both sadly passed away on the same day in January 2017 and their mums, Shelley, from Tutbury, and Sam, from Atherstone, met at the hospital’s annual memorial service after spotting both of their children’s names on the same page in the memorial book. 

At four-months-old, Zachary was diagnosed with a rare heart defect called Scimitar Syndrome, which meant his right lung and pulmonary artery were under-developed. He underwent open-heart surgery at Birmingham Children’s Hospital when he was 10-months-old but just a month later, Zachary’s condition suddenly deteriorated and he sadly passed away.  

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Chloe was two-days-old when she was transferred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital after going into respiratory
arrest. Chloe was quickly diagnosed with Arthrogryposis, a condition which affects the joints and meant that her legs were twisted but as she underwent more tests it became clear that Chloe’s brain was not functioning as it should and she passed away at seven-weeks-old. 

Shelley and Sam became good friends, helping each other through their grief and over time, their children became good friends too. Both families had fundraised for the hospital’s charity before but when Sam spotted an advert for the Mini Run and told the kids, they jumped at the chance to do something together for their siblings. Sam’s nieces wanted to get involved to remember Chloe too. 

Sam said: “Though we only had seven short weeks with Chloe, all the staff at Birmingham Children’s Hospital made sure they were filled with memories of our beautiful precious girl. From the nurses on the intensive care unit who made sure I got to hold Chloe and recognised that twins need each other so let Emelia lie next to her, to the chaplaincy and the bereavement team who helped us make memories we could cherish forever – they were all amazing. 

“We always talk about Chloe, she’s a huge part of Emelia’s life so she was so proud to complete the run with her cousins, Georgia and Holly and of course Archy too. They all did so well!” 

Shelley added: “Archy wasn’t born until after Zachary passed away but he and his older sister, Zara who is nine, know there was a special sibling between them. I’ve fundraised for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity myself, so Archy was very excited when Sam suggested he took part in the Mini Run and he could do his own fundraising for his brother. All the kids had a whale of a time running the race and Sam and I are so proud of them.”  

Miranda Williams, Head of Public Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “Remembering loved ones is such an individual thing so we’re grateful that Archy, Emelia, Georgia and Holly chose to remember Zachary and Chloe by running for us. 

“The incredible amount Archy, Emelia, Georgia and Holly raised will not only help us do more for our sick kids but for their families too.”