In the early days after Andie’s death, I discovered Red Nose and the marvellous work that they do. As Mitch and I tried to come to grips with what had happened, I utilised Red Nose’s online resources. The community Red Nose has built made us feel like we were not the only ones.
When Andie was born, she was a beautiful smiley baby. Born a twin to her brother Harley, Andie was our little battler.
At birth, she went without oxygen due to a condition called Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension. She spent almost 6 weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Townsville Hospital. She fought hard to become well and miraculously recovered.
Andie was a truly special baby. She loved acrobatic shows from her older sister Kennedy, singing and dancing to Lizzo with her mum and being cuddled by her grandma. She loved dogs and the colour orange. She was the centre of our universe.
A few days after turning 9 months old, Andie passed away suddenly while being held after a routine nappy change. It was out of nowhere.
In the early days after Andie’s death, I discovered Red Nose and the marvellous work that they do. As Mitch and I tried to come to grips with what had happened, I utilised Red Nose’s online resources. The community Red Nose has built made us feel like we were not the only ones.
The loss of a child is something that you pray will never happen, but sadly the reality is that it happens to Australian families every day. And when it does happen, it can feel life shattering - it rocks you to your very core. The support services that Red Nose provides to these families in crisis is invaluable.
What I would say to any other families going through similar pain is that you will get through it, even if right now you don’t think you can. Just keep putting each foot in front of the other and start by getting through the day.
We found that honouring our daughter helped ease the pain. We speak of Andie often and remember her fondly. We encourage our children to remember her too, and don’t shy away from hard conversations surrounding her death. These things have helped us navigate our grief as best as we could.
As the proud co-owners of Paradise Outdoor Advertising, we are excited to be able to offer Red Nose space on our billboards to help raise awareness for this wonderful organisation.
For the last two Red Nose Days Tenille and Mitch fundraiser in honour of their daughter Andie. In 2022 they were the second-highest fundraisers in the country and in 2023 they were the highest, raising over $60,000.
Coming up in May, First Base in Townsville will be hosting a fundraiser for their ‘beautiful client, Tenille James in mind.
When: May 11 at 7 am.
Please arrive at 6:45 am to find your team.
Where: First Base Domain
What happens on the day?: There will be 5 teams of 20 people. Each team must keep 2 x treadmill, 1 x bike, 1 x ski, 1 x row moving for 60 minutes. The team with the greatest distance travelled across all machines, wins a team prize.
Cost: $50/person which is donated to Red Nose Australia
Who can come?: anyone is welcome! Men & women. Member or not.
Does it matter if I don’t have a team?: No. We will assign all individual sign-ups to a team before the day.
What do I wear?: You will be assigned a team and a colour to wear on the day. You will be notified of your team with plenty of notice.
I can’t make the event, can I donate anyway?: Yes. We have a fundraiser on our Instagram you can donate through.
Check out their Facebook event.
Please email admin@firstbasetownsvillecity.com if you would like to sponsor a team or get involved in any other way.