Kian, who recently turned 12, recognised how difficult this time of year can be for families like his, who have been impacted by the loss of a baby. To show support for those families, Kian decided to run every day for the 12 Days of Christmas to raise money for SANDS.
Kian ran over 39 kilometres every day for 12 days, running 0.5km on the first day and adding 0.5km every day until he ran 6km on his final day. The Maydown boy has been influenced by his hero Danny Quigley, who showed his support for Kian when his story was first featured in the Derry Journal before Christmas. The Sweeney family got in touch with Danny, who then showed up to support his young fan on the day, even giving him a present from himself, O’Neill’s and Ciarán Lockhart from the Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum.
Kian’s friends and family also came out to support his final run along the Quay and his dad James said he ‘couldn’t be prouder’ of his son.
He said: "It's really, really emotional to have Kian do this, I’m so, so proud of him. It's just amazing what he's doing, absolutely amazing. Mummy and Daddy are just so blown away by everything that he's doing here.”
The money Kian raised will go towards supporting families who have lost a baby while breaking down the stigma that surrounds talking about stillbirth and baby loss.
For more information on SANDS, visit https://northernireland.sands.org.uk/
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Danny Quigley presenting a gift to Kian Sweeney from himself, O'Neill's and Ciarán Lockhart Photo: none
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Kian Sweeney (centre) with his friends and family as he completed his final run as part of his fundraising efforts for SANDS NI Photo: none
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Kian Sweeney at the grave of his little sister Hannah, who passed away 10 years ago. Photo: none
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Kian Sweeney presenting a cheque worth £2,485 to SANDS NI Photo: none