Candles and lanterns lit up the night sky to mark the end of a mum and dad’s fundraising walk from Leyland to Blackpool on what would have been their daughter’s first birthday (Saturday 15 February).
The emotional journey raised £2,835 for Derian House, the children’s hospice that continues to support their family.
For parents Natasha Duong, 36, and Jon Acornley, 37, of Farington, Leyland, the 20-mile journey to Blackpool held a special significance in their hearts, as it is where they were able to take their daughter Ariya on one final late-night trip to see the sand and stars after she had passed away – with help from staff at Derian House.
Since then, the parents call Blackpool beach “Ariya’s place” and view it as a sanctuary where they feel close to her.
“We have honored Ariya in the best way we could and for that I am proud of our fellow walkers, who we call ‘Ariya’s Army’ – it really fills my heart with happiness,” said Natasha.
“There was an amazing atmosphere on the walk. I felt that Ariya was with us. Cars were honking at us, and passersby were asking about our story and donating to us. Unfortunately, 12 miles in my knee went and I had to have a break, but I managed to join everyone on the last six miles.
“When we reached Blackpool beach, I just cried. It was so overwhelming. So many of our family and friends had travelled over to meet us there. There must have been about 70 of us there. It was an incredible feeling and I just felt proud of us all.
“We lit up the beach with electric candles and we sent of lanterns into the sky. We sang happy birthday to Ariya. We just made it a moment to remember, it was so amazing and beautiful. I’m just so proud and happy we could celebrate her life the way we did and how many people joined us and donated to us has been amazing.
“Although I wouldn’t wish what happened to us to anyone, I find comfort in that we can change things for other families because of our beautiful daughter Ariya. I hope it means other families will be able to have their own a sacred place that they can return to, just like Ariya’s place on Blackpool beach.”
Natasha and Jon’s daughter, Ariya Leigh Acornley, was born on 15 February 2024 and lived for just 17 hours. She spent the following six days in one of Derian House’s special cold rooms, which gave her family more precious time to spend with her.
“Of all the incredible things Derian did for us, the most meaningful was making it possible for us to take Ariya to Blackpool,” said Natasha.
“I didn’t believe it we would be allowed to because it’s not a normal thing to do. But the staff at Derian House did everything they could to make sure we were able to do this safely.”
Derian House is now working closely with police and coroners to put in place a protocol to support families in situations like this, which will hopefully be shared across the country as best practice.
Donate to the Blackpool walk in memory of Ariya.
Catherine Randall, Chief Nurse at Derian House, said: “We pride ourselves on being able to look after every family each in their own unique way.
“Ariya’s family chose to celebrate their beautiful daughter’s life in a way that felt right for them. The benefit of hospice care is that we can be flexible and put the individual needs of our families at the forefront of care. We are now taking the lead in establishing a protocol to support all families, working closely with the authorities, which will hopefully be shared across the country as best practice.
“We think it is amazing that Natasha and Jon are raising awareness for families just like theirs. It costs £6million to run our hospice every year and the money raised will help us to be able to offer the same high level of personalised care to other families in the future.”
Derian House, based in Chorley, Lancashire, cares for more than 400 seriously ill babies, children, young people and their families from across the North West helping them to make the most of every moment.
20 Mar
