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Woman who lost both her children now helping others

Alice Cunningham
BBC News, Suffolk
Doreen Savage Doreen Savage smiles at the camera. She has short grey hair and wears a black floral top. She also wears glasses.Doreen Savage
Doreen Savage, 80, lost both her children and now uses her time to help others

An 80-year-old woman who lost both her children when they were 20 said doing things for other people had kept her going.

Doreen Savage, from Bentley, Suffolk, lost her daughter Debbie to meningitis in 1989 and then her son Adam in a car crash in 1993.

She and her husband, Ray, supported each other through their grief over the years, and Mrs Savage said they still missed both their children "dearly".

Helping others was important to Mrs Savage, so for her recent 80th birthday, she decided to walk 80 miles (128km) throughout May to fundraise for St Elizabeth Hospice's bereavement support service, LivingGrief.

Doreen Savage Debbie Savage smiles at the camera. She has thick and voluminous dark hair from the 80s fashion. She is wearing a white blouse. Doreen Savage
Debbie Savage died in 1989 after contracting meningitis

"When Debbie was 20, she got meningitis and died very quickly in just a few hours, that was in 1989," Mrs Savage explained.

"After Debbie died, we were just coming to terms with life a little bit when Adam died.

"We had visions of him filling our lives with a family, grandchildren and things like that."

Doreen Savage Mrs Savage rests over a bridge looking at a piece of paper. She has short grey hair and wears sunglasses.Doreen Savage
Mrs Savage walked 70 miles for her 70th birthday and decided to do 80 miles for her 80th

Mrs Savage explained Debbie had been engaged to be married and was working as a receptionist when she died.

Adam had followed in his father's steps and started a career in the Armed Forces, when just after Christmas, he was involved in the crash on the M25.

Due to Mr Savage's work in the forces, the family had lived in many different countries across the world as the children grew up.

"I'm just so thankful that we had all those happy years together," Mrs Savage added.

Doreen Savage Adam Savage smiles at the camera. He has short dark hair and wears an army uniform. Doreen Savage
Adam Savage was following in his father's footsteps before he died in a car crash in 1993

Over the years, Mrs Savage kept herself busy while helping others.

When she turned 70, she walked 70 miles (112km) for charity and for her 80th, she wanted to do the same.

"Originally I was going to do it in eight consecutive days, but then reality checked in and I thought I didn't think I could do that," she said.

"I had to rationalise and I thought if I did it over May, then that would work better."

Mrs Savage had pre-planned routes for her walks all around Suffolk and was joined by friends and family.

She met others who had gone through child loss, including a woman who lost her daughter to a brain tumour, which she said had been helpful and special to her.

Doreen Savage Ray Savage smiles as he stands in front of a bush. He is largely bald with some grey hair on the side of his head and he has a grey beard. He wears glasses with a dark waistcoat and pink shirt.Doreen Savage
Mrs Savage said she and her husband Ray had helped each other through their grief

Mrs Savage has raised more than £2,500 for LivingGrief, which she said had been incredibly supportive of her efforts.

"Lots of people have said, 'What will you be doing when you're 90?'," she continued.

"If I'm blessed and I'm strong, I'll do something, but whether it'll be 90 miles, I don't know."

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