Raising money for Alder Hey’s Snowdrop Suite

Hi, our name is Alice and Sam and in November we tragically went through what no parent should ever have to go through. We welcomed our beautiful baby Thomas Jude into the world and also said goodbye to him in the same month. Life has truly never been the same since. On the 22nd of November 2021, our world came crashing down all around us, and we watched our boy slip away right in front of eyes, feeling so helpless and lost.

After a long night of watching Thomas put up the biggest fight of his life, we lost him early hours Monday morning. Thomas was blue lighted from arrow park to alder hey, but he never even made it to the ICU which was just a couple doors down from the emergency room he was rushed into.

After hours and hours of a living nightmare and watching our Thomas unable to fight any longer, we where met with the kindest lady at alder hey. This lady was called Elaine and she was a member of staff from the snowdrop team. The snowdrop suite is ran by bereavement care workers and they provide a 24 hour, 365 days a year response service to families who’s children have died. At a time when Elaine was needed most, she was there and she is still there for us now.

The snowdrop suite was a place we could spend time with Thomas and make bittersweet memories with him. The family where allowed to visit and for some, meet him for the first time. It felt like a home from home and it is ran by the most amazing team. We created so many memories there and Jack, Thomas’ older brother spent so much time making memories with his baby brother and making keepsakes such as hand prints together which he will cherish forever.

Other ways they help are:

* Practical and emotional support when a child's family comes to Alder Hey for a post-mortem

* Liaising with the Coroners Officers, registrars, police, funeral directors or safeguarding team

* Preparing paperwork and supporting a family when they take their child to their appointed funeral director or hospice

* Arrange visits and support families during visits to the bereavement suites

* Complete mementos

Whatever a family may need in the immediate hours, days, weeks, months following a child’s death, The Snowdrop Team can help.

This is why we want to fundraise for the snowdrop suite. So the money can be spent on things which will help bereaved parents and families in the hours, days and weeks after their child’s death. The fundraising could go towards clothes, blankets and toys for babies and children, mementos and keepsakes for parents, tea, coffee and biscuits for parents and families, an extra cuddlecot for parents like us who take their babies home just before their funerals. They only have one cuddlecot so an extra would really come in handy. There is nothing that will make losing a child ok, but having the right support afterwards is the key to surviving this nightmare and that’s exactly what the snowdrop team help with.