Tamworth couple Michael and Cat Blewitt have raised an amazing £7,259 for the Eden Suite at Heartlands Hospital following the tragic loss of their triplets Jack, Lottie and Rosie.

Cat and Michael set up a crowdfunding page to raise money for the Eden Suite, the specialist bereavement suite at Heartlands Hospital, and initially hoped to raise £1,500. However, thanks to the incredible support of their family and friends, the couple have raised far more than that.

Speaking of their experiences, Michael said: “On the 24th February 2018 we have an eight week pregnancy scan which revealed that we had three babies growing. We felt like the luckiest people alive!”

Tragically, Jack, Lottie and Rosie were born prematurely and passed away shortly after birth. Cat and Michael were supported on the Eden Suite, with Michael saying: “The Eden Suite allowed us to make memories with our babies for a few days which we will cherish for the rest of our lives. They did this through both amazing care by midwives and support staff, but also using a machine called a CuddleCot.”

CuddleCots keep the baby cool, allowing parents to have precious time with their baby. Without a CuddleCot, the amount of time that parents have with their baby is far shorter. Cat and Michael decided to raise money in order to help Heartlands Hospital Charity to purchase another CuddleCot for the Eden Suite. “When asked by the staff how many they had available, we were distraught to find out that they only had three cots between two major hospitals.” Michael said, “I know one of the hospitals can unfortunately have up to five families going through this in one day alone, therefore not all families get the opportunity that we had.”

Nicky Taylor is one of the bereavement midwives on the unit, and said: “The CuddleCots are so important for our work on the ward, they give families that precious time with their babies that they wouldn’t be able to have otherwise. Our thanks go to Cat, Michael and all of their friends and family who have so generously donated, the money will help to purchase a new CuddleCot so that other families can spend precious time with their baby.”

Sian Averill, Fundraising Manager at Heartlands Hospital Charity said: “The hospital charity is incredibly grateful to Cat and Michael for their amazing fundraising efforts. It is hard to imagine what they have been through, but their fundraising will leave a lasting legacy at the hospital that will benefit many other families in the future.”

Despite having already raised over £7,000, the couple are not slowing down in their fundraising efforts and will be taking part in a fun run in September. “This is only the start of our fundraising as we want to continue long into the future” Michael said.
The couple are incredibly grateful to the staff on the Eden Suite, and in particular to Nicky Taylor, who took care of Cat and Michael during their time on the unit. Michael said: “We are still taking it a day at a time; however there is no doubt that we wouldn’t be where we are now if it wasn’t for the Eden Suite at Heartlands Hospital.”

If you would like to support Cat and Michael’s fundraising efforts, then you can visit their JustGiving page here. 

To find out more information about how Heartlands Hospital Charity supports the Eden Suite, please click here.

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