A couple, whose baby was sadly stillborn, have raised more than £12,000 in a bid to help other parents in the same situation. Staff at Forth Valley Royal Hospital supported Melissa and Ryan Hooper from Cumbernauld by offering them the use of a cuddle cot so they could take their daughter Penelope home for a few days and meet other family members.
Ryan explained: “Although this has been a devastating and heartbreaking time for all of us, the desire to do something in Penelope’s memory has been palpable. When Penelope was born, the hospital provided us with a cuddle cot which preserved our gorgeous girl and gave us priceless and everlasting memories and the opportunity to spend time with our daughter.
“This brought peace and comfort to Melissa and I and it is something we will be forever grateful to the team at Forth Valley Royal Hospital for as it gave us the opportunity to share these moments and bring our beautiful Penelope home.”
The couple set an initial £2,000 fundraising target which was reached almost immediately so they set the bar higher and the have raised an incredible £12,700.
The couple visited Forth Valley Royal Hospital to hand over the cuddle cot to NHS Forth Valley Chaplain David Harper, Bereavement Adviser Catriona Addison and midwife Chloe Jackson who said it had been a privilege to look after the couple after the sad death of their lovely baby girl.
Catriona Addison added: “Everyone at the hospital who has met Ryan and Melissa have been humbled by their kindness, generosity and determination to do something positive to help other families who have experienced the loss of a baby.
“We are very grateful to them for everything they have done and continue to do to support local services at Forth Valley Royal Hospital.”
Anyone who wishes to donate to the fund in Penelope’s memory can do so on Just Giving.
