A COVENTRY charity which helps those to have lost their child at birth has donated a £2,000 CuddleCot to a Birmingham baby loss centre.
The Luca Foundation has presented the CuddleCot to Woodland House at Birmingham Women’s Hospital.
The specialised refrigerated cot will provide grieving parents with the opportunity to spend precious time with their babies.
The Foundation was established by Sharon Luca-Chatha following her own experience of stillbirth in 2012.
She named the foundation after her stillborn son Luca and even changed her last name in his memory.
The charity has been instrumental in providing support to over 3,000 bereaved families as well as donating and repairing more than 120 CuddleCots to healthcare facilities.
CuddleCots function as refrigerators, preserving the baby’s body and enabling parents to spend up to a week with their child and even take them home.
Woodland House serves as a sanctuary for over 2,000 grieving parents annually and offers support to those who have experienced miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death away from the maternity ward.
Sharon said: “A CuddleCot will give the families the ‘gift of time’ with their baby that they would not otherwise have.
“When a baby dies, there is a lot of information to take in, forms to sign, post-mortem to discuss etc.
“Therefore the extra time is very much needed to take in all that has happened and the trauma that comes with that.
“It is instrumental for the mental health of the parents and family, often including young siblings, for the grieving process to start with their baby in their arms.”
Sharon said she is still battling PTSD from her ‘sleeping baby’ who was taken away immediately after birth and not returned for nine hours.
“The anger of what happened to us is the fire within me that wants to ensure all parents in these tragic times have access to a working CuddleCot, something I wish I had.”
The charity aims to raise funds through its upcoming Gala Dinner on May 11 at Birmingham’s Park Regis Hotel.
Hosted by comedian Tommy Sandhu and MC Sandra Godley OBE, the event will have a welcome glass of fizz, a three-course meal and a DJ.
A raffle and auction on the night will also be available with one of the top prizes including a private dinner for four people cooked in your home by 2021 Masterchef winner Dan Lee.
Sharon has authored two books on child loss and launched a range of memorial gifts under The Endless Love Collection, aimed at promoting physical and mental well-being while supporting the grief process.
The headline sponsor for the event is DRD Capital in Birmingham.
Any businesses that would like to donate a raffle or auction prize or get involved as a sponsor, can email [email protected] to contact Sharon.
Visit thelucafoundation.org.uk/ to purchase tickets which cost £65.
