Parents of premature twins raise over £3,000 for cuddle cot

Parents of premature twins have raised over £3,000 for UHNM’s Forget Me Not Suite.

Karis Thompson and Jack Burgwin, from Stoke, fundraised for UHNM Charity in memory of daughters Ayda Lane and Remi Love who were born at 19 weeks.

The funds have enabled staff to purchase a cooling ‘cuddle cot’, a lightweight, portable unit that provides grieving families with an opportunity to spend time with their loved ones away from a clinical setting.

Karis said: “We found out about Ayda and Remi in late 2022 and I went into early labour in February 2023 and had them at Royal Stoke’s Maternity Centre.

“The care at UHNM was amazing, they were all very nice people. We were very lucky to have the cuddle cot, we say that all the time. Being able to bring them home, albeit for a short while for a few days.

“We got to bond with them, read stories to them, and all the family met them and got to spend time with them so they felt like part of the family. When you lose a baby they could almost feel like not part of the family, but because everybody met them they made them real.

“We made an online donations page and shared it on social media. Through family and friends, we raised over £3,000- there were some amazingly kind and large donations.

“We wanted to fundraise for UHNM Charity so the Forget Me Not Suite could buy the cuddle cot because of the difference ours made to us. We especially wanted other families to be able to benefit and go through the same experience we did, and be able to bring them home. Some people don’t get the chance to, and I can’t say how much it helped us and helped us to grieve.

“You feel sad and can’t comprehend that somebody else is going to have to use it, but you feel good that you’re able to give them the chance to grieve properly and bring them home.”

Caroline Birchall, Bereavement Specialist Midwife added: “We would like to say a huge thank you Karis and Jack, as well as their family and friends and everybody who donated. There is an unfortunate demand for the cuddle cots, so having another unit will ensure as many parents and families as possible are able to benefit.”