A devastated family has shared their story to warn parents after they lost their two-month-old baby girl.
26-year-old Ellie Dixon and 35-year-old Nick Hall’s daughter underwent four major operations after being born.
The couple’s daughter named Harper, unfortunately, died from a rare heart defect just days after doctors told her parents that she was recovering.
Their two-month-old baby girl took her final breaths in their arms and now the parents are raising awareness about heart conditions in babies.
The parents, from Walsall, West Midlands, also have a two-year-old son together named Archie.
The devastated parents have now launched a community network called Harper’s Bows to help local families who are going through something similar.
Ellie said: “We are determined that Harper’s memory will live on. Losing a child still feels like a taboo. It is still something people are uncomfortable talking about.”
“You are called a ‘widow’ if your husband dies, but there’s not even a name for someone who has lost a child. It felt like once Harper died there was no support, we didn’t know where to turn.”
Harper was diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot while she was still in the womb.
They were told their daughter’s condition was serious but after surgery, she will live a normal life.
However, after being born, little Harper underwent four major operations and the parents couldn’t get to bring her home.
After Harper started struggling to breathe, the parents were told to say goodbye to their little girl.
Ellie said: “The nurse told us to come and kiss Harper goodbye. She was cold and grey and lifeless. We knew she was going to die, but the surgeons kept working on her.”
The parents stayed by her bedside all night, holding her hands and kissing her cheeks.
They cuddled her and the baby girl took her last breath in their arms.
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