Support worker takes Womon of the Year title

Julie Ann Coll Woman of the Year (centre) pictured with family members Stephanie Cooke(on the left), Sarah Julie Peoples, Catherine Cooke (Julie Anns mum), Chelsea Cooke and Kerri Lynn Cooke (Julie Anns daughter) at the Derry City and Strabane Council Women of the Year Awards in the City Hotel on Friday night last. DER0916GS066

This year's Woman of the Year is JulieAnn Coll, a young mother from the Waterside, who has set up and runs a support group for those who have suffered the loss of a child in infancy or through miscarriage.

It was something she had thought about quietly for a long number of years after losing her little son, mark, at 22 weeks into her pregnancy.

Although supported by her family in the hours before her child died, JulieAnn found herself alone when she woke the next day. She had been put into a side room on her own, off the main ward.

She said she found the experience frightening and lonely, and it has been these feelings that prompted her to reach out to others.

Julie Ann Coll Woman of the Year pictured with her mum Catherine Cooke at the Derry City and Strabane Council Women of the Year Awards in the City Hotel on Friday night last. DER0916GS067

Speaking after she won the WOman of the Year title JulieAnn said her next step was to produce informative and helpful literature for those facing what she had over a decade ago.

“I lost a wee boy in 2004,” she said.

“It was just a case of my waters broke and I went into premature labour and he was too small and weak to survive, so doing something like this has always been on the back burner, but life got in the way; throw in school, me going to work that sort of stuff.

“So, i have always known I wanted to do something.

Julie Ann Coll Woman of the Year pictured with her award at the Derry City and Strabane Council Women of the Year Awards in the City Hotel on Friday night last. DER0916GS068

“I am not the only person in my family to have a miscarriage, it has happened to other members of my family too, so we have been our own support group.

“When I had my loss in hospital I was handed a leaflet with a few numbers on it. Back then it was a bit scary, you know? What do you say whe you phone? Who are you talking to? Its all unknown. So, wehn the world of Facebook came along you could see more because it was easier to look and find out things through the world of Facebook and that’s how I came across Life After Loss and saw they were based in Northern Ireland and I thought ‘Right, OK’.”

A lot of the work that Julie-Ann does is through social media, keeping in contact with people electronically and her work with those feeling the loss of a child know she is always there, like a computer, running a support programme quietly in the background for anyone that wants to avail of it.

“It was coming up to baby Mark’s 10th anniversary and I thought ‘Why not!’, and I made contact with a view to setting up a Life After Loss support group here.”

Recalling the traumatic events surrounding her son’s death, Julie Ann paid tribute to her Minister, Rev Pat Storey, who came to the hospital to visit and to Christen the infant and conduct the funeral service afterwards.