A HUSBAND and wife have been put forward for a Proud of Barnsley award for their continuous charity work since the death of their 18-month-old daughter.
Little Mia Barton Bright died in March from meningitis B.
Since then, her parents Becky Barton and Matt Bright, of Bretton View, Cudworth, have shown immense inner strength to keep Mia’s memory alive and raise money for the charity Meningitis Now.
They have been nominated by their friend Kirsty Summerfield, of Swift Street, Old Town, who is also one of Becky’s colleagues.
Upon learning of their nomination, Becky said: “I’ve done all this fundraising to make people aware. It was such as shock when Mia died; one minute she was fine, and the next she wasn’t here.
“I know it can happen but I never realised it could happen so fast. If I can help another family and prevent it happening again in Mia’s memory then that’s what I will go on to do.”
The couple had struggled to have children, with Rebecca miscarrying twins, so they were delighted when Mia came into their lives.
But the evening of March 8 soon turned into their worst nightmare.
Mia had seemed fine, but later on her temperature rose and she had a spot which appeared to be chicken pox. In the early hours, Mia woke Rebecca, who saw she was covered in the meningitis rash.
Mia was rushed to hospital, but died.
Despite grieving for their daughter, Becky has made it her mission to ensure other families do not have to go through the pain and heartache she and Matt endure daily.
Just a month after Mia’s death, Rebecca and Matthew did a five-mile harbour-side walk Bristol with family and friends in memory of Mia to raise money for Meningitis Now. They also organised ‘Mia’s Memory Walk’ which raised £1,425 from collections, raffles and tombolas alone.
Becky has also organised a skydive in September and a masquerade winter ball with three-course meal for January 2017.
She is campaigning for the meningitis vaccine to be made available to all children under five, and the couple has appeared on BBC Breakfast on the morning of the parliamentary debate to tell their story.
Becky added: “Tomorrow, we’re having a stall at Tea in the Park in Cudworth and on Sunday we’re at the Old Post Office in Haigh doing a charity show. The week after we’re at Tatton Park in Cheshire, Meningitis Now have asked us to go along as we’re registered volunteers with them now. Meningitis Now has done so much for us, they’ve been absolutely fantastic.”
Kirsty, who nominated them, added: “In the last four months since March 9, Becky has shown a courage and strength I have not believed possible and whilst still grieving her beautiful daughter, she has currently raised more than £5,000 and counting for Meningitis Now and raised awareness of this deadly virus to others. I am so proud to call her my friend.”
Read more in this weeks Barnsley Chronicle
