There is an update below regarding 2 wonderful companies who have picked My WiSH as their corporate charity

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This is one of the hardest things we've ever written, but we feel compelled to do it because we want the world to know that our baby existed, and he mattered. We also want to honour his memory and help people in the same position as us.

On 13th March 2025 we lost our baby boy, Hudson, at 22 weeks pregnant due to a heart defect.

In October last year, we found out I was pregnant. Mike and I were absolutely overjoyed, although after a previous miscarriage, we approached this pregnancy cautiously. We cherished each milestone with hopeful hearts. At an early scan, we saw our baby's tiny heartbeat flickering. At nine weeks and then again at the 12-week NHS scan, everything looked good—our baby was growing well. We even went for a private gender scan at 16 weeks and saw him moving so vividly.

At 20 weeks, we attended our hospital scan, the first time we allowed ourselves to feel just pure excitement without the usual nerves. Tragically, that was when we learned that our baby had a severe heart defect. We were urgently referred to St Thomas' Hospital, where the specialists confirmed our worst fears. Our baby had the rarest and most severe form of hypoplastic left heart syndrome - an incurable condition. The left side of his heart had not formed and it also looked like he had complications with the arteries coming from his tiny heart.

While some treatments exist for this condition, they are always palliative, painful and risky. The severity of our baby’s case meant he would face an extremely brief life filled with pain and suffering.

We had to make the heartbreaking decision to end the pregnancy at just over 21 weeks and, after a long labour, I delivered our baby boy on 13 March 2025. We named him Hudson. He is the most beautiful little boy we could have ever imagined. Mike and I were lucky enough to be able to take him home for a short time and spend a couple of days with him as a family of 3. We love him with every part of us, and the grief and impossible choices of that time are beyond words.

We want to acknowledge and thank the incredible team at West Suffolk Hospital’s labour ward. They were more wonderful than we could have ever hoped. The care, compassion and love we received during our time there will forever stay with us. Words are not enough for how amazing they were on those difficult days, and how supportive they are continuing to be now.

They not only provided exceptional medical and emotional care for both of us, but also supported us in creating precious memories of our baby. Much of the support they offer, such as memory-making, is not funded and relies on donations and fundraising efforts. Even items in the room such as lovely paintings and a sofa bed for mum and dad to be together after the birth, and the tiny basket we borrowed to bring our baby home in, are not funded through the NHS.

And this is where this fundraiser comes in.

The memory boxes that they offer and that allow parents to hold on to some special moments, are funded through MY WiSH. They cost around £2600 per year - £35 a box for the (approximately) 75 families at West Suffolk going through this each year

The best way we can think of saying thank you and trying to bring something positive from our heartbreak is to try to raise enough each year to ensure other parents have this too. If we raise more, we have ideas of additional things that could go in the boxes or we will let the amazing bereavement team know that they can make decisions on what that money is spent on. I will be specifying to the charity where this money goes so everything will go towards West Suffolk maternity and bereavement support.

Over time, we have will be organising events and participating in sponsored activities. We have been lucky enough that a couple of organisation have agreed to look into events for us, as well as Whites Farm Baby Barn in Suffolk making this their charity for the year.

We hope some people may consider donating through this too. We will also be making regular donations ourselves via this page.

If anyone has any other ideas for fundraising or you have events where you would consider a raffle, auction, donation bucket or anything else that you can think of, please don’t hesitate to get in touch— we would be incredibly grateful for your support in giving back to such an amazing team and helping others in Hudson's memory. If you can afford a regular donation, please do so that I can continue this over time. If not, any small amount you can spare is welcomed.

Finally, one small comfort I've found, and one we hope might help others going through something similar, is this: we've learned that I will carry Hudson’s DNA in my body for the rest of my life. And if we are blessed with another child in the future, Hudson will pass a part of himself to his sibling, too. We may not always have our baby boy with us in person but we will always be a mummy and daddy because of him and I get to keep him with me in my body, forever. This feels profoundly beautiful to us, knowing that he will always remain a part of me, in the most literal and enduring way.

Thank you for all your support

All our love

Mike and Rhiannon

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We are so lucky that Whites Farm Baby Barn and InfoTeam International have chosen My WiSH as their corporate charity for the year off the back of our story. (Below)

Whites Farm Baby Barn is an award winning local baby and toddler equipment who offer expert advice and a friendly vibe when you're trying to find exactly what you need for your baby. (Whitesfarmbabybarn.co.uk)

InfoTeam International is a producer of B2B conferences specialising in IT and cyber security, the community of which I am a part of. I have spoken at their cyber security events over the last few years. (Infoteaminternational.co.uk)

Both will be running different events, doing raffles, and/or providing donations. Any giveaways or prize draws will go through this page for ease of ensuring donations are going to the right place

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Information on My WiSH

My WiSH Charity enhances the care patients at the West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust receive. This comprises of West Suffolk Hospital, Newmarket Community Hospital and community services in Suffolk.

We fundraise for all wards, depts and services. We support everything from emergency to the elderly, bones to babies, and cataract to cancer care. You donate to the area closest to your heart.

With a population of more than 280,000 people, raising money to enhance the care our community receives is vital, and that's why we need your help.