Laois mum to swim 24km in memory of baby son

A YOUNG Laois woman who lost her precious baby son has begun a 24km charity swim in his memory, on what would have been his fourth birthday.

Abbeyleix couple Aishling and Vinny Rothwell were heartbroken when their only child Ozzie passed away on 24 June 2022, just six weeks after he was born on 14 May.

To honour him, Aishling is taking on a personal challenge by swimming 24km between 14 May and 24 June in support of Féileacáin and Every Life Counts, two charities that supported the couple tremendously after their devastating loss.

Aishling (née Smith) said: “The number 24 has become deeply significant to us. 24 June 2022 is the day our world changed forever, the day we said goodbye to Ozzie after the six precious weeks we had with him. This challenge is about more than distance. It’s about love, grief, healing and remembering."

Aishling has already begun the challenge at Club Vitae in the Maldron Hotel, Portlaoise, aiming to swim 50 lengths or 1km four times a week to reach 24km by 24 June.

A finance director at First Ireland Spirits in Abbeyleix, Aishling returned to swimming last May to help her through the enormous grief of losing Ozzie.

She told the Laois Nationalist: “I hadn’t been swimming since I was in primary school but I needed something to calm my thoughts. In the pool, I can just focus on breathing and moving through the water and it has helped me in so many ways, both mentally and physically.

“The pool became somewhere I could process grief, clear my head and slowly learn how to live in this new world without our little boy physically beside us.” 

Aishling’s sister-in-law Liz Rothwell endured the loss of a little daughter years ago and crochets memory box butterflies for both Féileacáin and Every Life Counts, two charities that quietly support families through unimaginable loss.

With her ‘24km Swim for Ozzie’ fundraiser, Aishling aims to give back to both charities for their invaluable support during her darkest days.

She said: “Unless you have been touched by baby loss, you may never fully realise how important organisations like Féileacáin and Every Life Counts are. They provide compassion, guidance, support and understanding during the darkest moments. I want people going through similar grief to know that they are not on their own."

As he was born during the Covid pandemic, Ozzie’s grandparents were sadly unable to visit him at The Coombe Hospital in Dublin during his short life. Féileacáin provides ‘cuddle cot’ mattresses that fit inside portable Moses baskets, with cooling systems that regulate temperature, allowing families to bring their babies home after death.

Aishling explained: “Were it not for the cuddle cot, you wouldn’t be able to take your baby out of the hospital and have a proper family wake at home. It was very important for us to be able to bring Ozzie home after six weeks, so that his grandparents could see him.” 

The ‘24km Swim for Ozzie’, a GoFundMe set up on 11 May, has already raised almost €4,000 on his birthday three days later. Aishling will post regular updates on the fundraising page as she continues the challenge.

She said: “The response has been incredible and we are completely blown away by people’s kindness but we already knew that the community of Abbeyleix is exceptional. They were so thoughtful and supportive during those six weeks we were in The Coombe. Fr Paddy said masses for Ozzie and the Collison estate donated an oak tree in his memory. The whole town has been so supportive of this fundraiser too and we can never thank them enough.” 

A niece of local historian Noel Burke who leads the Tonduff Cillín Committee, Aishling is also a member of the group that organised a variety of memorials to lost babies and children in the local community.

The poignant memorials include the beautiful installation outside Abbeyleix Heritage House that was unveiled in June last year, featuring ceramic petals bearing the names of beloved babies who will never be forgotten. The memorial include Ozzie’s handprints and footprints, made with Féileacáin casts.

Aishling wrote on the fundraising page: ‘Four years on, we are still learning how to carry grief while continuing to live, grow and move forward. We are forever proud to be Ozzie’s parents.

‘For the six weeks he lived. For the four years we have carried him with us. Forever our boy. Always remembered. Always loved.’ .