You know when you find yourself in a situation and think “I NEVER imagined I would be doing this in my life”?! Well that basically summed up Wednesday afternoon, when we were asked by Forget me not Children’s hospice to come and share with BBC Radio Leeds our story of loosing a baby with a life limiting condition and how they have helped and supported us on this journey both antenatally and since. It was to be part of a feature they are doing of local charities for BBC Children in need.
Unless you live under a rock you will be aware that tonight is all about children in need. It is the time of year where celebs, schools and regular people all over the country do various things to drum up donations for charities that work with kids and families with a whole host of illnesses and life limiting conditions. They work to make memories for the families, to help them make the most of the time they have together, offer support and respite for families, parents and siblings and they generally make life better for those struggling.
I (like many you) have always contributed a few pounds, did the whole non uniform thing at school and supported in small simple ways, but I guess its not until you personally become one of those parents/families or until you become a recipient of children in need donations to help you get time with your baby, bereavement counselling, play sessions at the hospice and holistic experiences to unwind at no cost, that you suddenly realise what a truly great cause this is. And I regretfully never really made the connection with peoples generosity and our support from the hospice until Wednesday’s interview, but after pausing to reflect on that question, I realised how truly grateful I am for Children in need and the annual support they offer to thousands of families like us!
From the beginning of this journey of expecting a child with a life limiting condition, I have been determined to use my experience to be able to help others in whatever way I can, not just via my blog but in person and other ways too, I have attended a baby funeral and emailed a friend to be there for them, I have met with families expecting a baby with Trisomy 18 to talk, and so when we were asked to do this interview, to be a feature to raise awareness in West Yorkshire and hopefully help to get more funding to help families like us to get that support and time with baby/their kids, I couldn’t say “no”. I knew I would feel nervous and perhaps it would be emotional too, but both Nathan and I desire to be able to have Poppy’s story live on and for others to gain strength or support from our experiences and so it was always going to be a definite “Yes”!
We were interviewed by Johnny I’anson (who Nath knew of very well and was shocked I didn’t…awkward), he was really nice and we had some laughs all together aside from the seriousness of the interview. The hospice, as always had plenty of beverages and treats on hand to enjoy and it was great to be with Emma and share another part of our journey.
She went first and explained her role and a little about the hospice, and then it was our turn. He asked us about the hospice, how we felt and feel now about hospice care, what they have done for us, if it differed any from others experiences and then what happened with Poppy last year and what the hospice have offered us since then. I love Emma, she’s so kind and loving, yet such a joker and extremely supportive too, I loved hearing her talk so passionately about her amazing work, and knowing that many more people would be touched by her kindness!
For that and so many other reasons, it was very easy to praise the hospice, to give the facts of the amazing work they do and how they are a home from home to us, but oh how emotional it was to tell the story of what happened. I get so used to telling the odd facts or things I have rehearsed about my story without too much emotion, but I rarely am on the spot to tell the whole story and I realise in those moments how fresh again it all feels, how very sad and tragic it was that our baby girl died. I also realise when I think of the stories of others from SANDS and others I have crossed paths with in life, that we were so blessed to have time at the hospice with her in a homely setting, with support and counselling on tap and a safe haven whenever we need it! I honestly do not know how different and much harder it would be without having had that. I don’t mind that I cried on the radio, they may or may not edit it out, I hope they don’t so that the listeners can feel a degree of our pain. That they can hear the pain of our experience and compare it to the joy in our voices when we speak of the hospice.
The interview will be played throughout the day on BBC Radio Leeds today, I hope if you are in a position to that you will be able to donate to this wonderful cause that enables experiences for families with poorly kids, that you cannot put a price on! I seriously never imagined I would be doing a radio interview in my life, especially for something so sensitive, but it was a wonderful experience with wonderful people and I am glad to be able to be a voice to raise awareness some more, and I am glad that Mr Smith was by my side once again and able to share his thoughts and feelings too!
What an amazing thing to do for so many reasons – for others, the Hospice and even you. I guess, although sad it was nice to talk about Poppy and share her memory with everyone. I guess you don’t realise what Children in Need really do until you benefit from it. I donated today but this has made me think a bit more. Thanks for sharing with #bestandworst and see you soon xx
Omg Mary (and Nath) this is such a fantastic thing to do. I only wish we lived in the Leeds area so I could hear your interview. You are yet again an inspiration talking about gorgeous Poppy, and raising awareness. Watching Children in Night yesterday, you realise how many inspirational people there are in our wonderful country (can I have your autograph ?) xx