A Scots couple who lost two children within a year are taking on a gruelling 500-mile walk around Scotland in their memory. David Christopher, 45, and Louise Russell, 54, from Cupar, are preparing to walk and camp the North coast 500 in memory of Ciaran Reilly and Siobhan Russell.
Heartbroken stepdad David and mum Louise were first hit with tragedy when Ciaran, 29, took his own life in December 2020, leaving behind three kids aged eight, five and three.
Speaking to the Daily Record, David said his death "came out of the blue" as Ciaran has been talking about plans for the next stage of his life.
He said: "We didn't know anything was wrong. He was talking about getting a new job, looking for a new house and had just started driving lessons.
"We just got the knock on the door at nighttime. It was devastating.
"I didn't know a person could make a noise like Louise made that night. Just the screams that came out of her.
"He had been down but nothing we thought was too serious. He seemed happy to us and like he was looking forward to life."
But just months later the family was again ripped apart when Ciaran's sister Siobhan, 33, sadly passed away. Siobhan, who suffered health complications due to an alcohol addiction, was hospitalised with pneumonia in June 2021.
Medics told David and Louise their daughter had just 48 hours to live, but she miraculously pulled through. She was checked into rehab and hadn't had a drink in six months.
On October 20 Siobhan underwent surgery for esophageal varices - a condition often triggered by liver disease that causes the veins in the esophagus to enlarge.
Soon after the operation, Siobhan began suffering from headaches and went to see the doctor, who believed they were due to the medication she was taking. She was rushed to hospital just days later after collapsing at her grandmother's house on October 27.
Test results discovered Siobhan had contracted sepsis due to complications with the surgery. She tragically passed away shortly after.
David continued: "Every family meal, Christmas or birthday since then has just been like there has been people missing. I still can't get my head around it.
"We were still grieving my step-son when that happened. It's hard enough losing one child but two within a year."
The couple will walk and camp the gruelling 516-mile North Coast 500 in May. They plan to cover around 25 miles a day, raising money for Crisis UK, Change Mental Health, Papyrus UK, DrugFam and Veterans Foundation.
The route will take them from Inverness around the top of Scotland along the East coast to John o' Groats before descending back down the West Coast as the route leads them back to Inverness. David says that it will be tough both mentally and physically but believes that they are both up to the challenge.
David continued: "We wanted to do something that's going to be challenging and a bit extreme to hopefully raise as much awareness as we can in their memory. We wanted to add to that by having the challenge of camping every night and carrying all of our gear."
Donations can be made via the couple's JustGiving page.
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