John & I surprisingly welcomed our darling son Joseph Taylor Brown into this world 14 weeks early on 27th September 2012 weighing only 1lb. 11oz

He was transferred to St Thomas Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in London. The dedicated, caring staff looked after Joseph and us so very well.

We were lucky to be able to stay in the hospital whilst waiting for a bed at Ronald McDonald House. Once a bed became available we were given a room for as long as we needed which we prayed would be a long time.

Whilst at St Thomas’ we were able to spend our time with Joseph - first of all learning what all the different wires,  tubes,  machines & medicines were, and how they were helping our little boy.

We were able to hold Joseph s hand, rest our hands on his head, and around him, to make him feel secure like he was still in his mummy’s tummy - where he should still have been!

We went shopping for some very soft blankets, John chose a special teddy and we picked lots of books with stories & nursery rhymes for our time with him. 

We treasured our moments spent with him - reading to him, singing to him, washing his little eyes; I never believed I could be so happy to change a nappy!  In a different life, I am sure we could so easily have taken these moments for granted. 

After one short, but very precious week spent with our darling son, Joseph passed away peacefully in our arms.   We shall treasure every second we had with him especially the time when we finally got to hold him close.

Many of our family & friends got to meet our darling son & everyone’s support has been, and will be, what helps us through. Joseph will always be a special part of our lives and with our family & friends his memory will always be kept alive. 

We hope by telling our story we can raise awareness & some money for this fantastic charity - we had a very short stay at the house, but hopefully we can help other families who will be able to stay at such a friendly comfortable place during their difficult time.