Worthing man taking on wing walk in memory of granddaughter
Dave Munn is trying to raise money for Chestnut Tree House
A man from Worthing is taking on the challenge of a lifetime, in memory of his granddaughter Violet who was stillborn in 2015.
Dave Munn, 54, will also be raising money for Chestnut Tree House who continue to support him and his family.
He said: "I’ve always wanted to do a Wing Walk, and this is the perfect opportunity to give back to Chestnut Tree House, after all they have done for Violet and our family.
In 2015, Dave’s daughter, Dani, found out she was pregnant with Violet. “I was so excited to be a first-time mum,” said Dani. “I couldn’t help but buy baby items. I would dream of our first home. The gender of our child. If we'd be early or late. I was due just after New Year’s, such an exciting time to expect a baby.”
At her 12-week scan, concerns were raised as Violet’s nuchal fold measured abnormally high. “I was sent for further testing and at six months, it confirmed that Violet had severe complications that were drastically restricting the growth of her rib cage. We were told that she would never be able to breathe and that she had a 5% chance of survival.
“I remember sitting in the consultant's chair. Time stood still. I forgot to breathe. The air was taken right out of my lungs and my world swept from beneath my feet. The consultants advised that I should end the pregnancy as Violet should have been an early miscarriage – but she was a fighter.”
At 34 weeks, on 9 November 2015 at 1:19am, Violet Nora Denholm-Munn was born sleeping. The family took her to Chestnut Tree House, where they spent three days with her before they said goodbye.
“Those three days were a blessing that I have always been so grateful for. We spent the time at Chestnut Tree House, they fed and gave us somewhere to sleep so we could be close to Violet. We were able to spend time with our daughter and they helped us take prints of her hands and feet, arrange a funeral, and the team was there 24/7 to care for us.”