A special start

It was my first official meeting day today, and what a special way to start the formal part of my Fellowship.

A while ago, I became aware of the lovely work Hayley Ellenton had undertaken as a nurse caring for families experiencing early pregnancy loss in Hull, UK.   Hayley created Forget-Me-Not memory boxes for families to pay tribute to their baby lost during early pregnancy.

When I knew I was travelling to the UK, I reached out to Hayley, who organised for us both to meet along with Katy Cowell from Abbie’s Fund.  Abbie’s Fund has had the ongoing responsibility for making and distributing the Forget-Me-Not boxes for the past few years.

This morning, I was very honoured to be the first guest welcomed into the new premises for Abbie’s Fund, in the (gorgeous) village of Beverley near Hull. 

I had a lovely morning getting to know Hayley and Katy, while also feeling like I had known them both for ages.  Anyone wandering into the office would have thought we were three old friends having a cup of coffee together. 

I find that people generally are generous and willing to help one another.  In my experience, this is even more so when people share the pregnancy bereavement space.  It means you already speak some of the same language, even though you might be from different countries and have never met before.  While all our experiences are individual, you can appreciate the depths a fellow bereaved parent has been to.

It was very powerful and inspirational today to be in the company of two women who have done so much to significantly improve the experience of pregnancy loss for families.

Katy kindly showed me the beautiful memory boxes produced by Abbie’s Fund.  They are, quite simply, exquisite.  So much obvious care, thought and love has gone into preparing these incredibly special boxes.  The Fund provides boxes for many circumstances, including early pregnancy loss, stillbirth, the loss of a baby due to SIDS/illness, and for children who have lost a sibling or parent. 

I am honoured to be carrying two of these precious boxes home to Australia.

In the space of two short hours, I learnt so many new concepts that will help to improve care for bereaved families.  I am so grateful to Hayley and Katy for their generosity in sharing their time, thoughts and ideas with me regarding support for families through pregnancy loss.  It’s only day one and I’m already full of new ideas (and keen to start implementing them!)…what a gift this Fellowship is already proving to be.

For me, I knew I was in the right place as soon as I arrived.  The new couch at Abbie’s Fund has dragonflies on the cushions.  Dragonflies have always been my special symbol for Charlie; I feel like my little boy was letting me know I am on the right path.