The cot death of a seven-month-old Dundee girl broke the hearts of her entire family who could not believe she had been snatched from their lives without warning.
The tragedy has prompted her young cousins to take the plunge in a remarkable charity effort for a cause that hopes to one day find a cure for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
It was in October 2013 that tiny Niamh Mulholland went for a nap at the family’s home in Broughty Ferry and never came back.
Her family, especially parents Holly and David and sister Eilidh, 5, were left in shock and disbelief at the devastating loss.
There is not a day that passes that they do not still think about Niamh.
Aunt Lois Brown said: “Our children Nairn and Ruby were the proudest big cousins and their faces instantly shone when they saw her.
“For almost eight months we used every excuse in the book to pop round to see her, and looking back I am so glad we did.
“She was the apple of Holly’s eye and was such a loved and cherished little girl.”
Trying to explain the devastating loss to the children in the extended family was the hardest thing the adult members have ever had to do
“Their immediate response was why? It was so hard not being able to answer their question because the truth is we don’t know why,” said Lois.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden and unexplained death of a young child.
A baby dies from cot death in Scotland every nine days and the majority of families will never know why.
The Scottish Cot Death Trust is the only cot death charity in Scotland trying to find the answers through funding research.
In memory of Niamh, Lois and her children, Nairn, 6, and Ruby, 5, along with their cousins Lola, 7, Ellie, 10, and father Simon Murray are taking part in the Dundee Swimarathon on February 22, two days before what would have been Niamh’s second birthday.
The family opened a JustGiving page with the target of raising £100 but it has already attracted over 10 times that amount.
The main sponsors of the Swimarathon, which is organised by Dundee Rotary Club, are John Clark BMW and Blackadders.
Health Minister Shona Robison, Lord Provost Bob Duncan, Dundee City Council leisure and communities director Stewart Murdoch, and paralympic swimmer Stefan Hoggan will present the completion certificates.
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