Family of baby girl, who died after being born prematurely, raises over £20,000 to thank team that cared for her
Trigger warning: Contains references to child loss
Thousands of pounds have been raised in memory of a beloved daughter for The Royal Derby Hospital. A fundraiser, who set up a charity in honour of her daughter who sadly died hours after she was born, has racked up an incredible £23,067 in her memory.
Alison and Alan Staley and their family wanted to give back to the Derby Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Fetal Medicine Department after experiencing the tragic loss of baby daughter, Lyra Grace.
The family, who are from Melbourne in Derbyshire, were left heartbroken when Lyra Grace was born prematurely in January 2014, weighing just 1.5 lb and died in her parents arms hours later.
Alison and her husband, founded the charity Little Stars in memory of Lyra: “Our aim with Little Stars was to raise awareness about infant loss and help other families through the most devastating and challenging time of their lives. The care provided by the team at the Royal Derby Hospital was incredible and has enabled us to work through the physical and emotional pain of losing Lyra.”
The family have gained support from across the local community, with supporters taking on a host of challenges including the gruelling Three Peaks Challenge.
Overwhelmed with support, Alison said: “My family and I are forever indebted to the amazing team that cared for both our daughters, Lyra and then Seren. I don’t t know what we would have done without their round the clock care and expertise,
“It has been incredibly important for Alan and I to raise awareness of baby loss and to give back to the Fetal medicine and NICU departments. We’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to each and every member of our community that has volunteered and/or donated towards this staggering amount of money in memory of Lyra.”
The funds raised will go towards improving neonatal services at the hospital and supporting families on the units.
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