Leeds mum's epic challenge for hospice in memory of one-year-old daughter

A Leeds mum has completed an epic fundraising challenge - raising nearly £7,000 in one day - for Martin House Children's Hospice in memory of her one-year-old daughter.
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Esme Westmoreland, 30, took on 26 challenges on Sunday as part of the national 2.6 Challenge Day, to mark what should have been the London Marathon - and on the day her daughter Cecelia would have been 15 months old.

Cecelia had been born with a genetic condition called 1.p36 which caused multiple seizures - sometimes up to 100 a day - and problems with her heart.

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At six months old, her family were told her condition was life-limiting and they were referred to Martin House hospice in Boston Spa, where Esme said the care was "incredible".

Cecelia, pictured on her first birthday.Cecelia, pictured on her first birthday.
Cecelia, pictured on her first birthday.

Cecelia died nine weeks ago - less than a month after her first birthday - at home, peacefully, surrounded by family, a situation made possible due to careful planning from the hospice.

Esme said: "When we felt she was in distress that weekend, Martin House let us give her morphine at home - well, at my mum and dad's house where we were - with pretty much all our family around her. Everyone got to give her a cuddle. So the hospice was absolutely wonderful. We couldn't have wished for anything better."

The hospice provided a special cooled room where Esme and husband James, 36, were able to take Cecelia after she died, to spend more time with her, and both have gone on to receive bereavement counselling from hospice staff.

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Esme, of Otley, said: "They have helped our family so much. We had actually never heard of them before we had Cecelia and it's probably only half an hour from us. But the support and help that they provide for families is incredible."

James, 36, and Esme Westmoreland, 30, with daughter Cecelia.James, 36, and Esme Westmoreland, 30, with daughter Cecelia.
James, 36, and Esme Westmoreland, 30, with daughter Cecelia.

When Cecelia died, the family planned to do a five-day walk through the Yorkshire Dales to visit places they had been with Cecelia but the coronavirus pandemic shut down those plans.

So, with help from friends in her exercise class, Esme's epic 26 challenges idea was devised. And during the day, friends and strangers also joined in with their own challenges from across the county and around the world - having followed the progress on Esme's Instagram account.

She said: "The current total is over £7,000 which is amazing and about 80 per cent of it came on the day. [That support] really helped me, particularly at about 6pm when I was really flagging.

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"Me and James were reflecting on it and just saying how we didn't know it was going to be so successful but we were really pleased how it brought everyone together.

Esme pictured doing one of her challenges - a 26-second freezing cold shower.Esme pictured doing one of her challenges - a 26-second freezing cold shower.
Esme pictured doing one of her challenges - a 26-second freezing cold shower.

"I felt people were cheering us on from the back garden. We found the day really enjoyable and it was nice to be able to think back and remember Cecelia, on the day she would have been 15 months old - that was really significant for us."

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Esme pictured doing on one of her challenges - 26 laps of a homemade slip and slide.Esme pictured doing on one of her challenges - 26 laps of a homemade slip and slide.
Esme pictured doing on one of her challenges - 26 laps of a homemade slip and slide.
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