Big donation for hospital
Family hand £5000 to baby unit
A Motherwell family presented a bumper cheque for over £5000 in memory of their baby – to help NHS Lanarkshire create a special haven for bereaved parents.
Laura Mckeating and Graeme Downie have raised over £7000 in total through their fundraising drive, which began after they lost their daughter Aria who was stillborn at 26 weeks in July last year.
Their sad loss inspired them to join efforts to contribute to a maternity bereavement suite at Wishaw General Hospital.
Laura said: “We are eternally grateful that we got to hold Aria and that our other daughter Anna got to meet her little sister.
“We got a special memory box with photographs, Aria’s blanket and her footprints which I know like any parents in this situation, we will treasure forever.
“Sadly, not all parents in our position get the kind of support that we did. Not all hospitals have facilities to give bereaved parents time to say farewell. Luckily, we were given time, privacy and support.”
Laura and Graeme have taken comfort from helping to gather funds for the suite, which will provide a quiet, homely area separate from the maternity unit where bereaved mums and dads can spend some quiet time with their child.
Graeme said: “Through our darkest day we received amazing support from all the staff, who were caring, attentive and highly trained.
“Unfortunately, Wishaw General doesn’t have a separate unit for stillbirths and bereaved parents. We wanted to raise funds for the development of a new bereavement suite to help other parents who experience such a tragic loss.”
To raise the mammoth total, the family along with some friends took part in events including the Great Scottish Run and they organised a ‘Welly Walk’ with Anna’s friends which 22 children took part in.
The couple originally aimed to raise £500 through their Just Giving page. But after only two weeks they had already received over £2000.
Over two-thirds of the money raised will go towards the maternity bereavement suite. The remaining amount will go to the Lola Commons Fund for SIMBA. It was established by Lisa Hague in 2013 following the stillbirth of her first daughter Lola in 2008. SIMBA provide memory boxes to bereaved parents to help gather precious memories of their child.
Laura said: “SIMBA is a charity that you never really hear about until you face the heartache of losing a baby. This charity raises much needed awareness of stillbirth, responds and supports all parents and families during this difficult time.”
NHS Lanarkshire’s head of midwifery and operational manager of women’s services, Lyn Clyde, who received the cheque, said: “On behalf of all of the team, I’d like to offer my thanks to Laura and Graeme for their generous donation. It’s wonderful that they have done so much to raise funds and help others.”
Graeme and Laura Mckeating are pictured at the front with daughter Anna. Lyn Clyde looks on with senior midwife Wendy Drysdale.