Following on from our Highland collaboration, we would first like to share the story of Leah and Fraser, and their precious baby boy – Oliver.
Leah and Fraser sadly lost their baby boy at 19 weeks, and were able to spend 24 hours with Oliver in a cold cot at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary to enable them to create some first memories together.They approached us keen to fundraise for a cold cot to help other families. We learned that NHS Highland were keen to have a cold cot and so Leah and Fraser began their fundraising challenge.
Leah, said:
Myself and Fraser lost our son Oliver in May 2019 and were given use of a cold cot in the hospital. This was a lifeline for us as it allowed us precious bonding time with our son which would not have been possible without it. NHS Highland are in need of one of these cots and I would love to be able to give families that are going through one of the hardest times, some precious time with their baby. Myself, Fraser and a group of our wonderful friends have planned a 19 mile walk from Dirleton – Simpsons Centre for Reproductive Health. As Ollie was born at 19 weeks it felt right to challenge ourselves with a 19 mile walk. We will do this on Saturday 9th October to mark the beginning of Baby Loss Awareness Week. Any surplus funds raised will be donated to Held In Our Hearts, an amazing charity that helped us immensely not only when we lost Ollie but with great support throughout my pregnancy with James. They have also been a huge help in helping me with the logistics of donating a cold cot.
The Held In Our Hearts team are pleased to share that Leah and Fraser’s incredible fundraiser raised £3,350! Nearly £1000 more than the original goal! We would like to share a thank you to Leah and Fraser for raising money to support other bereaved parents within NHS Highland, and to all of the incredible donors. Their full story is here.