Pictured: Sarah Bernasconi, Mark Parsons and son Oliver hand over the latest Maggie Pearl cold cot to staff in the Paediatric A&E department at Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital.
Parents of a baby girl who was stillborn at Burnley General Teaching Hospital have raised a further £6,000 to purchase a second cold cot for East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.
Sarah Bernasconi and her partner Mark Parsons were devastated when their baby daughter, Maggie Pearl, was stillborn in 2015.
Despite their grief, the couple set about raising money for cold cots in Maggie’s name that other parents who suffer a stillbirth or a baby or toddler that passes away are able to use.
“The staff at Burnley and Blackburn hospitals have been so supportive and the new cold cot is our way of giving something back," said Sarah.
“Within a few hours your whole life is turned upside down and no parent should go through the pain of losing their child. For those who do, we’ve provided something to help and to know that Maggie’s legacy continues and she’ll never be forgotten.
“Having the cold cot gives parents that little bit of time to say goodbye on their terms, an all too brief time they deserve."
Sarah and Mark’s latest cot – number 6 to be built by specialist craftsmen at Simpsons Bespoke Furniture of Colne – was delivered to the Paediatric Accident and Emergency department at the Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital this week.
Clinical Director for Emergency Medicine, Dr Charles Thomson, thanked Sarah and Mark for their magnificent effort: “We cannot thank Sarah and Mark enough for their kind donation of a cold cot and extra memory boxes that other parents at the hospital will benefit from.
“Parents remember the care they receive, and good care can make a huge difference to their memories of that devastating experience and to their grieving.”
Sarah and Mark set up a Facebook page – Maggie Pearl Parson’s legacy – with daily auctions which in the last two years have raised thousands of pounds, enough for six cold cots and hundreds of memory boxes.
“It’s very, very important to me to raise awareness of stillbirth. All donations, no matter how small, will be greatly appreciated and the more I can do to help, the stronger and longer Maggie’s legacy will be,” added Sarah.