A couple who suffered the trauma of a stillborn child are embarking on a massive fundraising drive to increase awareness and fund research into neonatal deaths.
A couple who suffered the trauma of a stillborn child are embarking on a massive fundraising drive to increase awareness and fund research into neonatal deaths.
Sean and Sian Casey, of Cumbernauld, who lost their daughter Ciara five years ago, hope to turn their ordeal into something that could help others cope.
Every day 17 babies die at birth or within the first month of life. Ciara was stillborn after spending more than eight months in the womb.
She had developed Edwards syndrome, a rare and complex condition caused by the presence of a third chromosome that affects one in every 3000 conceptions. Half of those babies will not survive the prenatal period.
Mr and Mrs Casey, who already had a son Liam at the time of Ciara's birth and have since had a second daughter, three-year-old Niamh, now plan to raise £40,000 - a target set to coincide with the couple's 40th birthdays.
The money will go to Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Society (Sands), which develops research into conditions such as Edwards syndrome and supports families like the Caseys.
Mr Casey, an area manager for clothing firm Bon Marche, said: "I always wanted to do something for Sands and I wanted to do something which would also mark my 40th birthday.
"Everyone has been so supportive, from my colleagues, to my neighbours, to my Auntie Jean in Newcastle who held a coffee morning at her church and raised £60.
"Losing Ciara was a terrible tragedy but we have always tried to find positives to hold on to and the positives have been people's kindness, their generosity and the support the community has shown us."
Mr Casey is keen to raise awareness of Edwards syndrome, which effects the growth and development of every organ and did not just take the life of his own daughter - but also killed his younger brother. He also plans to highlight other forms of neonatal death.
He said: "When my brother was stillborn, they just took him away and that was pretty much that. It just left a massive void and, in those days, no-one really knew how to deal with it. People would just cross the street to avoid you.
"When Ciara was born, we really had the opposite of that. We just wanted to go home but the hospital really encouraged us to stay and spend time with her.
"It made a massive difference, just being able to hold her, to take a photograph of her.
"She was beautiful, wrapped in a blanket. She looked so peaceful and just like she was asleep.
"It felt like she was a real person and we got the chance to give her a hug and a kiss. That was a big help for us."
Ciara, like most babies who develop Edwards syndrome, was born with webbed hands and feet, and little casts of these were taken at the hospital and given to her parents.
"They are hanging up in the house. I have a little smile every time I see them," Mr Casey said.
