Bereaved mum ‘gives back’ to baby charities
AN Offerton mum is organising a raffle for two baby charities after losing a child of her own three years ago.
Suzann Wagster is raising cash for the baby bereavement suite at Stepping Hill Hospital and the SANDS Still Birth and Neonatal Death helpline.
After she and her partner Oliver tragically lost their baby boy Declan during pregnancy in 2013, 27-year-old Suzann says she received amazing support and help from both organisations, and along with her family decided to ‘give something back’ to the people who helped her.
The SANDS helpline gives families and friends the opportunity to be able to talk to someone who has been through the same situation, offering advice and support when families need it most.
The baby bereavement suite at Stepping Hill hospital provides families with comfortable rooms for when they need to stay overnight or attend the unit.
Suzann said: “The baby bereavement suite at Stepping Hill Hospital was invaluable for us.
“There they helped us through those first few terrible days after our loss, provided a baby memorial box and the support from the specially trained bereavement midwife Carol was amazing.
“They also helped us to understand what happened next and provide a funeral if that is the parents wish.
“They make the most awful experience slightly more bearable.”
The unit provides memory boxes for toys, and can take imprints of a baby’s hands or feet – but they are only able to fund these items through donations.
To make the raffle as successful as possible Suzann is reaching out to local businesses and restaurants for prize donations of any size. So far Suzann has received things like five free music lessons from a local music teacher, as well as Anchors play centre donating a pass for two children for a month.
Smaller donations have been made as well such as candles.
Suzann and her children have also been making Christmas craft items such as cork reindeers to be sold in order to raise further funds.
And she says that in the future she hopes to set up her own helpline, similar to SANDS, as at the moment she is not aware of one based in Stockport.
If you would like to contact Suzann about donating anything for the raffle or to the charities you can do so via email at suziwagster@hotmail.co.uk.
Alternatively, if you would like to donate money to the charities instead, visit justgiving. com/crowdfunding/ SuzannOliverHarrison.