In honour of Charlie William Jay 💙

Today (8/10),  we should be celebrating Charlie’s half birthday, but instead, we find ourselves six months into a lifetime without him. What happened remains a medical mystery despite extensive investigations. All we know is that something occurred in the final minutes of labour, leading to acute asphyxiation. Tragically, we are among the rarest cases, with this occurring in less than 1 in 50,000 births. Even though Charlie was born at 41 weeks, he was in the worst condition many of the NICU nurses and neonatologists had ever encountered.

During our brief time in the hospital, we learned so much and were so thankful to have the incredible support at GCUH. They organized hand and foot castings for Charlie and arranged for a professional photographer to capture precious family moments. We were also fortunate enough for them to have a cold cot available, allowing us an additional 28 hours with our beautiful boy before saying goodbye.

A cold cot, or cuddle cot, is a cooling system that allows families to keep their baby close in a bassinet, creating lasting memories without the urgency of separation. After we walked Charlie to the mortuary, we learned that not all hospitals, particularly those in rural areas, have this crucial resource readily available. The thought of missing those precious moments with him is unimaginable.

In honour of our beloved Charlie, we are fundraising to purchase a cuddle cot for a hospital that currently does not have one. We want to ensure that other families have the opportunity to spend additional time with their babies during such a heartbreaking moment. We would be grateful for your help in reaching our goal of $6,500, the cost of a cuddle cot. Any donation, no matter how big or small, will make a difference.

Thank you for helping us honour our Baby Charlie’s memory.

 12/10 - We are excited to share that thanks to your generous contributions, we have surpassed our initial goal of raising funds for one cuddle cot! Due to the overwhelming support, we have now set a new goal to fund a second cuddle cot, which will provide even more families with the comfort and support they need during difficult times.

Thank you for your generosity to this important cause. x