A HEARTBROKEN aunt is hoping members of the public will donate to a charity cycle ride after her nephew contracted sepsis and died at just six days old.
Nicole Wright from Pangbourne was left devastated when she heard little Tommy Roden had died in July, taking his final breath in his mother's arms.
Mother Becki and father Johnny rallied with the support of their three children, taking Tommy's ashes on regular family outings to make sure he was not forgotten.
Now the family is preparing for a mammoth cycle ride in his honour, with his dad set to ride 1,250 miles in 10 days for UK Sepsis Trust.
Mr Roden will pedal 10 miles for every hour his son was alive, travelling from John O’Groats to Land’s End and back to their home, in a bid to raise £2,000.
His sister-in-law said: "When the hospital phoned to say Tommy had gone into septic shock we were all in disbelief.
"We were told he had been sedated and put on antibiotics and oxygen again to allow his body to fight without added stress. He seemed to be doing well and fighting it.
"Tears and panic took over for a while. Then hope. We hoped he would fight and talked to him for hours. I even threw up in shock.
"I remember collapsing when I found out, then broke the news to my own children who were devastated."
Tommy was born eight weeks prematurely and appeared to be making a recovery, but his condition rapidly declined and he died within 12 hours of contracting sepsis.
His dad decided to take on the challenge within a matter of days according to Ms Wright, who says the tragic ordeal has brought the family closer together.
She added: "He is a keen rider so one mile per hour of Tommy's life was not a challenge for him. He needed something more.
"Tommy is and always will be a part of all of us. We are certainly a lot closer than we used to be."
Visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ridefortommy to make a donation to the fundraising page.
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