Running for Riley

Henriette Lamprecht – She could be heard a mile away because she’d be shrieking with excitement – a beautiful, bright shining star who loved everything and everyone.

She just had this presence about her, says Riley’s mom, Karen Mohan, about the daughter she lost shortly a year after her first birthday. Riley’s death was attributed to Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) – the death of a child over the age of one which remains unexplained after thorough investigation and an autopsy.

Four years later runners across the world, including Namibia, are honouring Riley by running to create awareness of SUDC.

“We were so happy in each other’s company – our faces would just light up when we saw each other,” says Karen.

Like most parents, Karen had never heard of SUDC before. She was lucky to find the SUDC foundation in the US which was able to help her understand what had happened.

Shortly after Riley passed away, Karen vowed she would make the world a better place.

Karen and her husband Amit came up with the idea of launching a Run for Riley, and in doing so supporting children’s charities. Shortly after this Karen ran the Comrades Marathon in Riley’s honour for the Starlight foundation, one of the charities registered with the Comrades Marathon in Riley’s honour.

“On Riley’s second birthday, her first after she passed away, I really wanted people to celebrate her and I thought the best way to do this would be to ask people to go out and run 5 km for Riley.”

Running for Riley took on a life of its own, with people now running all over the world in her honour, either to support charity or to simply go out and run with joy in their hearts – exactly the way Riley would have wanted them to.

The biggest event to date was when teams ran from Windhoek to Swakopmund last year to raise money for the children’s orphanage Hope Village.

“When Riley was learning to walk, she would just try and run everywhere. She was way too full of energy to do the whole toddling thing. I think she now runs with people, every time they put on their Running for Riley shirts or run in her honour, and people seem to just really feel the joy that is Riley.”

Riley’s parents want to use the opportunity to help other children as much as possible.

Karen admits there was a time she didn’t think she could go on breathing another second. Being able to run for Riley gave her a purpose, an opportunity to keep on mothering “this child of mine who I adored more than words can express,” says Karen.

“It has gotten me through some of the darkest of days. People often don’t know how they can help when something this awful has happened to someone, but people helped me immeasurably and still do, every time they go out there and run, every time they do something good in Riley’s honour.”

Apart from raising funds for Hope Village, funds have also been raised for The Starlight Foundation in South Africa, First Light in Ireland and the Windhoek SPCA.

“It’s incredible how many people have gone out and run for Riley, not only in Namibia, South Africa and Ireland but also in countries like Australia, Canada, the US, India, Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands.”

Karen also has a blog which she says has helped people understand where she is on her journey.

“It’s just an honest account of what it is to live with and survive the loss of a child and, more than anything, I want people to celebrate Riley and her life and experience the joy, love and hope that is my beautiful daughter. I want people to know they don’t need to pity us, because although we’ve been living with and still live with a tremendous amount of pain, we got to be and still are the parents of the most amazing gift we could possibly have been given and because of that we were and are blessed.”

Karen admits she used to be an “intensely private person” before Riley passed away and the thought of sharing anything even remotely emotional was her worst nightmare.

The blog was Karen facing her reality. Through this she allowed people to see her vulnerabilities and struggles. She allowed people to help her, and she could help others. The experience of having Riley, the passing of Riley and the almost four years since she passed away have changed her immeasurably. Karen says her entire outlook on life has completely changed.

She thought she would never survive. But she did.

“I rebuilt a much more honest version of myself. Riley’s loss stripped away any pretence that was part of the former me. I became much more honest with those around me and myself and to this day I still am. I became much more vulnerable and realised it’s much braver to face your difficulties and ask for help than to hide from them.”

The most important lesson she’s learnt is not to be afraid to live. And that love never dies.

September is always a difficult month for Karen, and on 16 September, Riley’s birthday, she wants people to “go out and run a 5 km with friends and family and to run with their hearts, not with their legs”.

[email protected], runningforriley.wordpress.com