Heartbroken dad speaks of the day his baby girl died in his arms

It has been 20 years since Kevin Haughian held his dying baby daughter in his arms but her memory is with him every day.
Kevin HaughianKevin Haughian
Kevin Haughian

Little Caitlin had been born with a heart defect and only survived one hour after her birth.

Kevin was just 18-years-old and the heartbreak he has felt has been etched into his soul.

That is why the now 38-year-old Lurgan man is keen to raise funds for Tiny Life by running in the Belfast Marathon.

Kevin found it so difficult to deal with the death of his little girl that he couldn’t even visit her grave.

“I only started to visit her grave two years ago,” he said. “It was just so hard.”

The Lurgan man said, with the help of Tiny Life, he has been able to deal with the heartbreak and grief.

“Now I can go and put flowers on her grave,” he said.

Running has also become a type of therapy for Kevin who says he is just very stubborn.

“When I start something I have to finish it,” he said.

He is supported now by his 11-year-old daughter Rihanna, he often trains with her in Lurgan Park on a Sunday morning.

Having run in the Belfast Marathon in May and the Dublin Marathon in October, Kevin is aiming to finish the Belfast half marathon this September in aid of Tiny Life.

“Rihanna helps me by making wee T-shirts for the marathon. She also gets the medals when I finish,” he added.

As a member of St Peter’s Athletic Club, he trains regularly but recalls the last marathon which he found very hard. “I got half way round and I wanted to give up. I just lay on the ground and someone picked me up and ran with me. But I’m not the type to give up,” he said.

To donate check out:

www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kevin-haughian2

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