Wakefield family share their story of hope following their experience of stillbirth as they donate a cold cot to Pinderfields Hospital | News

Pictured left to right: Kelly Simpson, Sharon Jones-Stanley, Taylor Simpson, Amelia Kent, Matthew Kent, Helen Holland

Wakefield parents, Taylor Simpson and Matthew Kent, have kindly donated a cold cot to Pinderfields Hospital following their own tragic loss, as their son was born sleeping last summer.

Fuelled by their desire to help families sharing that same heartache, the pair, along with Taylor’s mum, Kelly, are continuing their fundraising efforts in the hope of donating a second cold cot to the hospital.

Fundraising aside, Taylor hopes to raise awareness of the devastating effects of baby loss, by sharing her story: 

“I carried Isaac to 39 weeks and 2 days when my whole life changed forever as I heard those dreadful words, ‘there's no heartbeat’. 

“I prayed that they were wrong. Matthew and my mum rushed to the hospital as quickly as they could. All that was going through my head was how could we possibly tell our little girl, Amelia, the news?

“Our little angel was born on 1 July 2023, weighing 8lb 4oz. He had the most beautiful locks of hair which shocked us all as Amelia didn’t have any until she was around two years old. When he was born, we promised him that we would get a cold cot in his memory as, without the one we used, we wouldn't have had the precious time with Isaac that we were able to. For this, we are forever thankful to the Lucian family who donated one.

“On the day of Isaac's funeral, we asked for contributions towards a cold cot instead of flowers, and we decided that we needed to do something more for him and raise more awareness around baby loss.
 
“My mum organised a raffle for baby loss awareness week which had over 50 prizes kindly donated by friends, family and colleagues. She also hosted a bake sale and a raffle and in total we raised £3160 which all went to Abigail's footsteps for a cold cot. Left over baby blankets from our raffle were also donated to the bereavement room at Pinderfields. We had candles, wristbands, pens and keyrings that we provided for a memorial service for bereaved families at the hospital.
 
“Being such a vital piece of equipment, we are now hoping to fundraise for a second cold cot for which my mum has organised a charity dinner and a dance, with all the proceeds going towards Abigail’s footsteps.
 
“I'm currently 32 weeks pregnant with a little girl whose due date is 15 June. This pregnancy has been a whirlwind of emotions. We have kept quiet about having her which has grown difficult lately. 
 
“Amelia has an angel bear which is from her little brother Isaac in heaven which goes everywhere with her. We all talk about him which I do believe helps. We light a candle every night for him.

“We would like to personally thank my community midwife, Ruth Banks, and bereavement midwives, Helen Holland and Sharon Jones-Stanley, who have been there through our darkest hours. Thank you also to everyone who is looking after us currently.

“In the words of Kahlil Gibran - those we have held in our arms for a little while, we hold in our hearts forever.”

A cold cot is a portable cooling device, used to preserve a body’s appearance, condition and dignity, promising the gift of additional time to bereaved families.

Helen added: “The cold cot, donated in Isaac’s memory, will be available for use within the bereavement room at Pinderfields Hospital. It will be of great benefit to bereaved families, at a time when they need it the most.

“We’re extremely grateful to Taylor, Matthew and Kelly for their donations, and their commitment to fundraising on our behalf whilst raising awareness of baby loss. Taylor, thank you for sharing your story, it can’t have been easy to write but yours is a story of hope which I’m sure will help to bring much comfort to many families.”

Donations towards the second cold cot can be made through the family’s JustGiving page at: https://bit.ly/3UvBWaQ 

To donate to the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, visit the MY Hospitals Charity web page at: www.committedgiving.uk.net/MHC/Donate.