FOR Tintinhull couple Dan and Kimberley Greenwood, June 6 should have been a joyous occasion, the day they welcomed their precious baby daughter, Imogen, to the world.
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Instead, on April 13, 34 weeks into the pregnancy, they received the news no parent ever wants to hear ... their baby’s heart had stopped beating.
Consumed by grief, Kimberley blamed herself, wondering what she did wrong for this tragedy to occur, Dan told The Leader.
“We were both devastated, but we had great support from our families as well as from the Kootingal Roosters football club,” he said.
“We have a five-year-old daughter, Whitney, who was so excited about having a baby sister. Telling her was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.
“After getting some great advice from an organisation called Bears of Hope, we introduced Whitney to her little sister.
“It was heartbreaking, but she held her and played with her. We told her the reason Imogen didn’t wake up was because she was in heaven with the angels.
“The second day after it happened, a social worker came round and told us a bear with Imogen’s name on it would be given to another family via Bears of Hope.”
It’s not the sort of thing you’d expect from a tough football player, who wrangles sheep and cattle by day at the Tamworth Regional Livestock Exchange.
In the macho world of rugby league, talking about such topics would generally be unheard of. But Dan’s teammates had already proven their mettle last winter when they grew beards as part of a fundraising campaign for the Cancer Council, with $6000 donated from the sale of jerseys.
After the Greenwoods lost their beautiful baby, the Roosters stepped up to the plate once again, deciding to let their facial hair do the talking and donate the proceeds to the cause closest to all of their hearts – Bears of Hope – naming their campaign Beards of Hope.
If you’d like to donate to the cause, visit beardsofhope2015.gofundraise.com.au/page/kootyroosters4boh or go to beardsofhope on Facebook or the Kooty Roosters’ Facebook page.
The campaign concludes on August 29, when the beards will be removed after the semi-final at a big fundraising bash at the Kootingal Hotel.
