Brave Milton Keynes mum ensures son, 5, did not die in vain

Odette Mould’s world crumbled when little Harry died ten years ago after being admitted to hospital with an asthma attack.A delay in medication and oxygen deprivation led to him suffering catastrophic brain stem damage, an inquest later heard.Odette said: “I can feel the anger and pain welling up inside of me. It takes an immense amount of strength not to let it consume me but I made a choice many years ago to channel that into doing good, just like Harry would have done.”Harry was a twin, and seeing the effect his death had on his sister Jessica, Odette and her husband decided to set up Harry’s Rainbow charity to help other bereaved children.Over the years the charity had raised tens of thousands of pounds.Now, to mark what would have been Harry’s 16th birthday, Odette has set herself ten remarkable fundraising challenges to mark the 10 years without him.The first, in February, was to undertake the fastest zip wire in the world, speeding along at 100mph. There followed several running challenges, including sprinting 10k in under 56 minutes and a half marathon in less than two hours.Odette has also completed the Tough Mudder run and a 16 mile walk.“The main challenge however is what I’ve been training for throughout the summer - 56 mile London to Brighton bike ride on September 15,” she said.“I am not a cyclist and had to buy a new bike and learn to ride it on the roads.”Odette is hoping the challenges will raise £16,000 for Harry’s Rainbow - £1,000 for each of Harry’s birthdays.She said: “It is now my role to ensure his life was not in vain and therefore I strive every day to help bereaved children.”

Odette has worked with MK Hospital over the years to improve services and care and more recently Harry's Rainbow have funded a refurbishment of the bereaved family room in A&E.

She said: "I can look at the hospital in a more positive light now and can take comfort from knowing we’ve helped to improve care for others, particularly with the refurbishment of the bereavement suite in A&E"."

You can donate via Odete's fundraising page

To read more about Harry's Rainbow visit the website