Remembering Poppy

Poppy passed away peacefully in our arms on the 24th March. She was the most perfect and special little girl, we have no words to describe the pain we are feeling. We will never be able to explain our heartbreak but we have some comfort knowing she is now at peace. 

On Wednesday 28th April we will be sending our angel into the sky. In memory of our darling Poppy, we are fundraising for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford. We would kindly like to ask for your help in raising money to support other babies and families. 

The unit provides specialist medical and surgical care for babies across the country. All expectant parents hope their babies will be healthy, but sometimes problems arise, such as antenatal concerns requiring monitoring or treatment, premature birth or a difficult delivery.

As many people know, Poppy sustained numerous severe injuries during delivery, due to a rotational 'Kielland's' forceps procedure. We were transferred to the NICU at the John Radcliffe within hours, for specialist medical attention and further investigation. Without the dedication and expertise from this team, our very limited time with Poppy could have been even less. 

Poppy was looked after by the most amazing team of nurses, doctors, consultants, therapists, neurologists etc. they did everything they could to care for Poppy. She was as comfortable and happy as she could be, despite many complications. 
 
When we found out just how serious Poppy's condition was, the team did everything in their power to make sure we were able to spend precious time as a family. We were able to take Poppy outside with all her life support equipment. We spent time together in a private room, we were able to spend the night with Poppy snuggled in between us. We were able to spend these very important moments together as a family. 

We hope to provide funds to help towards creating a comfortable, welcoming space for families to spend time with their sick or premature babies. Private time away from the busy ward. A space to discuss very important issues about their baby, with consultants and doctors. 

We would also like funds to go towards the Neonatal transport team, the team that collected Poppy from our local hospital, they transport and care for babies from all over. The team that also helped us take Poppy outside of the hospital and around the hospital.