By FireRescue1 Staff
NEW YORK — An FDNY fire lieutenant plans to compete in the NYC marathon in memory of his stillborn daughter.
Lt. Mark Donohue, 37, will be participating in the Nov. 6 marathon and will stream it live using Facebook Live on his phone. Lt. Donohue said at each mile marker, he will recite a stillbirth fact and announce the name of a stillborn baby. At mile 26, he will recite the name of his stillborn daughter, Jane.
“I want people to ask. I want to talk about my daughter,” Lt. Donohue told the New York Post.
Lt. Donohue’s wife, Amanda, rushed to the hospital in February 2015 when she stopped feeling the baby move. At the time, Lt. Donohue was at work when Amanda told him their daughter had no heartbeat.
“I noticed like 12 missed calls. I saw the calls and knew something was wrong,” Lt. Donohue said. “You know the baby isn’t alive, but [my wife] still had to deliver.”
Doctors later concluded Jane died from undetected blood clots. Following the stillbirth, the Donohues — who have two daughters — were connected with a Minnesota-based nonprofit, Star Legacy Foundation, that focuses on stillbirth education, research and family support. The Donohues helped form a New York chapter in July 2015, and have raised more than $137,000 from two races last year.
Although Lt. Donohue said his family still gets upset and sad regarding Jane’s death, they are expecting a baby boy in December.
Lt. Donohue said he hopes competing in the marathon will bring attention to the non-profit, raise stillbirth awareness and encourage those affected to begin discussing it.