Bereaved family help local appeal
A family from North Lincolnshire has donated £813 towards Scunthorpe hospital’s maternity bereavement appeal.
The generous family raised the money from a collection at the funeral of John Hickson, who passed away on April 7. His widow Pam and son David decided they wanted the proceeds to go to a charity close to all of their hearts.
David and his partner Lauran Barnard know all too well about the heartache of losing a baby, so the appeal was something they wanted to support.
David said: “We were told at a midwife appointment in May 2011 that our baby, who we named Jessica, didn’t have a heartbeat. We had to go into hospital for Laura to deliver our baby and it was a heartbreaking experience for all of the family.
“The staff were excellent and we could not have had better care. However, we were in a side room on the maternity ward and could hear all of the other babies crying and families celebrating their new arrival while we were mourning the loss of our daughter.”
David added: “We knew my dad would have wanted the donations to go to the maternity bereavement suite appeal as it is such a good cause. We also know firsthand as a family how it feels to lose a baby.”
John’s wife Pam Hickson said: “We decided to donate John’s funeral donations to the appeal because of the heartbreak the family suffered when we lost Jessica. The facility that the HTF are trying to create now was sorely needed when Jess was born.
“John would have been so proud and pleased at the amount raised & thank you to all those people at the funeral who gave so generously.”
The appeal has been launched by The Health Tree Foundation (HTF) and aims to raise £150,000 to create a bereavement room on the central delivery suite which will provide a quiet haven for families experiencing the loss of a baby.
HTF community champion Hayley Thompson added: “We would like to thank the Hickson family and friends for their thoughtful donation.”
If you would like more information about the maternity bereavement suite appeal please contact HTF community champion Hayley Thompson on 03033 305672 or email: Hayley.thompson3@nhs.net
