AN IRISH couple has told their moving story about life after the lost two sons, one to cancer and a second to suicide.
Their story was shared by photo blog, Humans of Dublin, in collaboration with Pieta House to highlight their Darkness into Light walk, their flagship annual fundraising and awareness event which takes place on Saturday, May 6.
The event will be held at 150 venues across the world, with five walks in Britain in Cricklewood, Wigan, Liverpool, Manchester and Bangor in Wales.
The unnamed couple said they had met accidentally when the man accidentally ran over his future wife.
"I used to cycle down to my cousin's almost every day after school, and one of those days I was pedalling down on an old sand path in the dark, head in the clouds when I suddenly saw three people in front of me.
"I didn't get the time to use the brakes, so I knocked one of them down. At the time I didn't know I'd spend the rest of my life with that person," he said.
The couple went on to have 12 children, but sadly, two sons passed away.
"We lost one to cancer and the other to suicide. Only a year and a half apart.
"It was the most devastating time in our life, but we supported each other the whole way through. A new light came into our lives when we heard of Pieta House.
"We thought, okay, they're doing an important job, so we wanted to help.
"I've been coaching athletics forever, so I thought it would be great to organise a fundraising walk or run.
"It wasn't easy, but we really enjoyed doing it. After seeing over five hundred people show up, we thought it was a remarkable success. Nine years on, organising Darkness Into Light is down to a fine art.
"I never thought that one day I'd be standing in Phoenix Park looking at thousands of people, knowing that each and every one of them has something in common.
"It's a wonderful feeling and it helped us deal with the loss of our sons a bit better.
"None of this would've been possible without my wife's support. I've achieved a lot in my life, but if you ask me, I'd say knocking her down that night was the greatest achievement I ever made."
The Darkness into Light walk takes place this Saturday, you can find more information here.
