Sadly my beautiful daughter Ava-Quinn was stillborn on the 19th of January 2016.   As Ava-Quinn would have been 6 years old this year, I decided I would take part in 6 challenges across the year to honour her 6th birthday and to raise money for Eden Suite.

I set myself a personal challenge to walk 16,000 steps everyday in January in memory of Ava-Quinn.  At one point I had to resort to walking in my garden as I had covid and needed to isolate.  However I was determined to complete my challenge and in the end I walked a total of 606,623 steps.  

My first challenge was a 42k hike through London visiting all 10 Royal Parks.  I completed this on the 12th of Feb walking over 43k and 68,000 steps.  This was a very tough physical challenge but I saw some amazing sights along the way and met some great people all raising money for different charities.  I am so proud to have my first challenge in the bag and am determined to finish the rest.

Over the next 12 months I will also be taking part in: 

The wolf run - June
Colour obstacle run - June 
Skydive with UHB Charities - October
Halloween walk - November 

Ending with a climb of Scafell pike mountain in January to celebrate Ava-Quinn’s birthday.

I am also hoping to hold a charity night, competitions and raffles throughout the year.

So what is Eden suite? And why have I chosen to raise money for them?

Eden suite is a small unit located within the maternity suite at Heartlands Hospital.  This small unit and the team who work there provide essential care to women and families like mine who have lost their precious babies through miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death.  

Eden suite includes rooms which are set up for women to give birth in and a separate quiet family room to allow families to be there at such a sad time.  The rooms are equipped with everything needed to make things as comfortable as possible with birthing beds and sofas, private bathrooms and decorated to try and maintain a calming environment.

Like most people I never knew Eden Suite existed because why would I? I even work for the hospital trust and had no idea!! I didn’t know anyone whose baby had died and I certainly wasn’t expecting Ava-Quinn to die but the team within Eden Suite knew about me.

When I went into hospital at 22 weeks the Eden suite team were informed of the complications and awaited news like the rest of us.  Sadly Ava-Quinn died at 26 weeks however due to the rooms within Eden suite being occupied by two other families I had to give birth and stay in the maternity unit which was harrowing.  I gave birth and stayed in a side room which although private was still on a maternity ward and we could hear new life carrying on outside the room whilst our world was crashing down around us.

Finally after what felt like an eternity but in reality was only a day, we could return to a room in Eden Suite as one of the other families had returned home.  This allowed us to spend time with Ava-Quinn, it allowed our families to meet her and we were able to spend time with her right up until the day before her funeral.  

The staff who work within Eden suite are on hand 24 hours a day not only to provide midwifery care but also emotional care during such a difficult time. They helped and guided us through planning Ava-Quinn’s funeral and even to this day they are on hand if I ever need them.

Whilst I am raising money for University Hospitals Birmingham UHB Charities all of my challenges have been paid for by myself apart from the skydive which will be partly funded by the trust on the condition that I raise £300.  I have specifically requested and have had confirmation from the charity team that any funds that I raise will specifically go to Eden Suite to help them continue to provide this very important and valuable support.

During my time on Eden suite not only did I receive personal care from the team but they were also on hand to provide essential guidance and help navigate the way forward.  They have access to booklets of information and a wealth of knowledge to help at such a sad time.  

They provide gift boxes for families containing special memories, hand prints, foot prints and photos among other things.  These memory boxes are donated by the Lily-Mae foundation, a fantastic organisation that I have previously raised funds for (in 2021 I raised nearly £3,000 by doing a sky dive).  I also raised over £1,000 for SANDS (the Stillbirth and Neonatal Charity) by doing a night walk up Mount Snowdon. 

Eden suite gives families space away from the rest of the world, it allows bereaved parents to be away from the happiness and joy of the maternity ward, it allows families to be together and most importantly it allows you to be with your baby as you know you will never take them home.

I am determined to raise a minimum of £1,000 in memory of Ava-Quinn.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  It would make all the difference if you would please support my fundraising and give as much or as little as you can afford.  

Please click on the link below to find out a little bit more about Eden Suite and the amazing work they do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGpUiG8VopU

Thank you


Elizabeth Verrier

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