Stillbirth heartache inspires couple to donate cuddle cot
A GRIEVING couple whose son was stillborn have given a special gift back to the people who helped them through their traumatic experience.
Lynn and Colin Carruthers embarked on a fundraising campaign which saw them raise more than £5,000 for The Lola Commons fund for for SiMBA, a charity which helps families cope with the ordeal of stillbirth.
After their son Jake was stillborn in January, the couple began to raise funds and purchased a new cuddle cot for the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley which will benefit other families in similar situations.
Mrs Carruthers, 32, from Johnstone, in Renfrewshire, said: “The fundraising really gave us something to focus on. We didn’t have an opportunity to use the cuddle cot in the hospital because sadly it was in use so we thought it would be quite fitting if we raised money to buy another one. When I looked online, I found out that they aren’t funded by the NHS, so they’re not as widely available.”
Cuddle cots provide parents with precious time to spend as a family.
“Because we knew before he was born that Jake had died, I was very clear that I didn’t want to keep going back and seeing him. I wanted to have some time with him when he was born and that was it, and my husband was in agreement. But for some families I understand they want to spend a bit more time and we want to give people that option,” Lynn added.
As part of the fundraising, Colin, 34, and the couple’s son Dillan, six, climbed Ben Lomond raising the cash needed to fund the cot in just two days. The pair made it up and down in five and a half hours.
Lynn added: “We show Dillan pictures of Jake because we want him to know that he was real and did exist. We talk about him every day and Dillan draws little pictures.”
After being put in touch with SiMBA, the family were introduced to the Lola Commons Fund, set up by Lisa Hague and her partner, Celtic player Kris Commons, in honour of their stillborn