In December, Bournemouth beat Man Utd 2-1. Harry Arter was the star for the newly-promoted side.
That Man of the Match performance from the Ireland midfielder came in the face of incredible tragedy.
Just days previous, Arter and his fiancee Rachel had lost their daughter Renee at birth.
Since then, every day the Bournemouth player and his fiancee take solace from a memory box created for their daughter. That keepsake came from a charity called 4Louis.
Arter told the Bournemouth Daily Echo about the charity.
They offer couples memory boxes for when their baby dies, they put in a candle and other little bits, which is nice and creates memories for you – which you haven’t actually had with your child.
They also donate cots to hospitals for people to spend the night with their baby, if their baby has passed away. Not everyone chooses to do that, but it’s nice that they consider everything.
The comfort which Arter's family has received from the charity is something which he wants others to experience. So, he has facilitated an eBay auction of items including shirts worn by the Bournemouth squad for the recent game against Spurs, 20 pairs of boots used by the team, a shirt signed by Watford's Troy Deeney and VIP tickets for two upcoming Cherries games.
It’s a shame this charity even exists - that’s what the guy said when I got in contact with him – ‘I’m so sorry that you even have to get in contact’ – but it does.
And unfortunately for the people who go through it, as much as this doesn’t take away the pain, it does ease it a little bit, and it creates memories that thankfully last forever.
Former England midfielder Scott Parker was another of those to offer support.
I’m so close to him and it didn’t take long for him to realise what I was doing and to offer something.
Picture credit: David Maher / SPORTSFILE
