Fei and I are just two ordinary people who were given the most extraordinary gift imaginable: our daughter.

From the moment we discovered that I was pregnant, we fell in love with our baby. Before we had even seen their face, they had already changed our lives. We spent hours dreaming about the future we would share with them - their first smile, their first steps, their first ice cream, their first day at school, the person they would grow up to become. Every single day, I wrote messages to them in a journal, filling its pages with our hopes, our dreams, and our love. We wanted them to know, one day, just how cherished they were from the very beginning.

When we learned that we were having a little girl, we started calling her Tammi. It was only meant to be a nickname, but it quickly became her name in our hearts. She was already our daughter, already our world.

At 24 weeks pregnant, while travelling to visit family, I began experiencing painful cramps. I was beyond terrified. Deep down, I feared what it might mean. We rushed to the nearest hospital with a specialist tertiary neonatal unit, praying that everything would be alright.

Instead, our worst fears were confirmed. Tammi was coming far too soon.

Despite everything, Tammi entered the world fighting. We will never forget the overwhelming joy we felt when she took her first breath on her own. In that moment, hope flooded our hearts. She was whisked away by the neonatal team to receive the care she needed, and we clung to every sign of progress.

We gave her the Chinese name 安英 (Anying), pouring into those two simple characters all the deepest hopes of our hearts. In its meaning, we entrusted not only our prayers for her safety and peace, but also for her to grow into a person with the strength, courage and bravery to find light even in life's darkest days.

Over the days that followed, Tammi amazed everyone around her.

She was tiny, fragile, and impossibly small, yet she was also fierce, determined, and full of spirit. She was our little fire horse. Every update from the doctors brought us hope. Every nurse who cared for her spoke about how strong she was. We began to believe that somehow, against all the odds, our brave little girl would come home.

Then, on her sixth day of life, our world shattered.

When we arrived at the neonatal unit that morning, we were told that Tammi had taken a turn for the worst and urgently needed surgery. Once again, we prayed. We begged. We hoped with everything we had that our little girl would overcome one more challenge.

But this time, she could not.

That evening, we were faced with the most devastating situation any parent could ever imagine.

For the first and only time, we held our daughter together with nothing between us. We memorised every tiny detail - her beautiful face, her tiny fingers, the warmth of her skin, the beat of her tiny fluttering heart. We wished time would stop right there and then.

With the kindness and compassion of the neonatal team, we carried Tammi into the hospital's memorial garden. There, surrounded by birdsong, and the warmth of the setting sun, we held our daughter close as she took her final breath. She left this world wrapped in our love, with sunlight on her face and her parents by her side.

No words can truly describe what it is like to lose a child.

The days, weeks, and months since have been the darkest of our lives. Not a single moment passes when we do not think about Tammi. We miss her every second of every day. We miss the life she should have had. We miss the memories we never got to make. We miss the future that was taken from her.

Although her time with us was heartbreakingly short, Tammi changed us forever. She taught us what unconditional love feels like. She showed us strength we never knew existed. She will always be our daughter, and she will always be a part of us.

This autumn, together with my siblings and siblings-in-law, Fei and I will be running a marathon in Tammi's memory.

Every step we take will be for her.

We are raising money for the Sheffield Hospital Charity to support the neonatal unit and bereavement services that cared for our family during the most painful days of our lives.

The support we received was extraordinary. Although we were far from home, the staff treated us with immense compassion and kindness. Because of the charity's support, we were able to stay close to Tammi throughout her life. Because of these services, we had a peaceful bereavement suite where we could spend precious time with our daughter. Because of the memorial garden, we were able to hold her in a beautiful place as we said goodbye. These moments are priceless to grieving families.

We want to help ensure that other parents facing unimaginable loss have access to the same comfort, support, and compassion that we received. No family should have to walk this path alone.

The pain of losing Tammi will never leave us. We carry it with us every day. But we also carry her love, her courage, and her light.

Through this fundraiser, we hope that Tammi's brief but beautiful life can continue to make a difference. We hope her memory can bring comfort to families in their darkest moments and help create lasting support for babies and parents who need it most.

Thank you for taking the time to read our daughter's story.

If you are able to donate, no matter how small the amount, you will be helping us honour Tammi's memory and support the incredible charity that stood beside us when we needed it most.

Our daughter's life mattered. Her story matters. And with your help, her light will continue to shine.

Sylvia and Fei