Pippa Sheehan

In late October/early November this year, I will cut off my long hair, fundraising for the wonderful work of Pink Elephant Support, and donate my locks to the Ponytail Project for use as wigs.

Prior to my own experience with miscarriage, I hadn’t heard of any personal accounts of pregnancy loss, other than my grandmother’s - but when it started happening for us, people came out of the woodwork, most with experiences from decades ago. From then on (with my wonderful husband’s blessing), I committed to sharing our journey so no other couples or families would feel the deep loneliness, stigma or taboo we felt surrounded the topic at the time. I’m a storyteller by trade, and someone who finds great solace in shared experiences, and joy in finding common ground with others.

In 2018, we went through two miscarriages, the first identified by the sad words, ‘I’m so sorry, there’s no heartbeat.’

In 2020, we welcomed our little rainbow, Alfie, who continues to light up our lives in every way possible. Including when he wanders into our room in the morning saying, ‘Mummy, Daddy - the sun came up!’ - even if it’s not quite on the horizon yet...!

Already in 2022, we've had three pregnancies which have ended in miscarriage, the most recent in September with identical twins. When we saw them on the scan, it was a surprise and still exciting somehow - even though we knew we were never going to meet our little darlings.

NAK Hair has long supported me as an on-screen presenter and journalist for Ten News First, and they have generously agreed to continue doing so through this fundraising effort. The Mop will be Lopped at a date to be set in late October or early November - but until then I invite you to make a donation of anything you can toward the incredible services and support offered by Pink Elephant. Their existence and resources can help others feel less alone at a time that can feel incredibly lonely and isolating.