By Mark Stillman
November 20 2019, 19.25
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Saturday’s Stadion Race at Twickenham Stadium will be an emotional one for some.
Shooting Star Children’s Hospices are the official charity partner of Spartan Race UK, and their Guildford hospice provided care for Jack Burgess, who died in May aged just 26 days.
Jack’s cousins, Alex and Maisie will be running the Spartan Kids race in his memory, and their mother Amy Johnson-Cook, praised the Christopher’s Hospice for their compassion during Jack’s final moments.
Amy said: “They went completely above and beyond.
“The time at Christopher’s was the only time Alex and Maisie got to meet Jack.
“Michael and Kirsty have been back frequently supporting them at family days at the hospice.
“I can’t praise them enough for what they did for Jack and our family.”
Jack was born with holes in his lungs and chronic kidney disease, spending the first 18 days of his short life in three different hospitals. On day 19 his parents, Kirsty and Michael were told the devastating news that he was being moved to a hospice for end-of-life care.
Kirsty added: “The staff looked after Jack like he was their own, sitting and cuddling him all night so we could get some sleep.
“We got to make memory casts of his hands and pictures that we will cherish forever.
“Jack had a life because of the hospice and we thank them for the seven days we got spend with our baby as a family.”
Amy says her children didn’t hesitate when asked to raise money for the hospices.
Amy said: “They are very active, outdoorsy children and when we watched some videos of other Spartan Kids races, they were really excited by them.
“I think in their head they’re expecting a big playground.
“To me, that’s what I think it’ll be like as well.”
Shooting Star Children’s Hospices cares for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families, throughout Surrey and across 15 boroughs of London.
They hope to raise £50,000 for the Twickenham Stadion Race so they can continue to provide a lifeline for the families they support, including practical and emotional care for the whole family.
