Fenland mum makes heartfelt donation to hospital in memory of her baby son

Hannah Armstrong, from March was devastated to find out that her unborn child had a very rare heart condition called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) and would not survive.

The congenital heart defect affects the normal blood flow through the heart and as the baby develops during pregnancy the left side of the heart does not form correctly.

Hannah said: “Me and my partner had to make the difficult decision to be induced and give birth at 21 weeks, before losing Edward four hours later, but the help and support that I received from the Maternity staff at Hinchingbrooke Hospital will always be remembered. The team were incredible with their care and support and I knew I wanted to do something to give back.”

Hannah set up at fundraising page on Facebook and asked for donations for the staff and parents-to-be who might be in a similar situation to her and received a huge number of toiletries, keepsakes, memory bears, cuddly toys, knitted cardigans and hats, along with £250 in donations. The local Fenland Baby Bank, which is run by Rachel Green, Sarah White and Matthew Liebscher, also supported her with donations as well as pastoral care.

She said: “I have been overwhelmed with the donations that I have received from parents and the stories that are being shared on my Facebook page between parents in the same situations are what keep me going. My aim is to set up a charity foundation called Edward’s Wish, which I hope will help others facing the loss of a baby before birth.”

Emma Bowles, Bereavement Specialist Midwife, said: “We are incredibly grateful to Hannah for her kind donation and for the tremendous support that she is providing for local parents going through a similar situation. I know that the donations will be hugely appreciated by families who come onto the unit and we are putting the donation towards a camera, which will be used to take photos as part of the memory boxes that we put together for parents.”