Trying to get on with life after child loss. I share my experiences to help others and lots of my coping strategies include travel, eating amazing food and architecture/interior photography, so hopefully this blog makes for enjoyable reading for those out there that are lucky enough not to be in a situation like mine. It is full of photos showcasing some of the amazing places we have travelled to and the things we do in memory of our beautiful children.
I am a proud and heart-broken mother to two angels and one rainbow baby.
My first born was a beautiful baby girl named Violet who beat all the odds after she had open heart surgery at just 4 days old at Alder Hey Hospital. She lived a full and happy life for 15 months until passing away suddenly at Manchester Children’s Hospital in September 2016. We didn’t learn what had happened until a coroner’s inquest hearing in May of this year (2018) and this was a very long time to have to wait for answers. You can read about what happened here.
My second angel was our rainbow baby Arthur who was born sleeping at 22 weeks, almost a year after Violet passed away, and he had severe brain abnormalities. He gave us so much hope for the future and when we lost him in September 2017 we felt as though our hope for the future died with him. You can read more about him here.
It has been an extremely devastating and challenging few years for both me and my husband but despite all of this devastating news we still strive to make the most of our lives as we understand how fragile life is and how much our daughter Violet loved life. She wouldn’t want us to mope and suffer. We’ve learnt to be grateful for the 15 wonderful months we spent with her that we might not have had if it wasn’t for the top NHS heart surgeons and care at Alder Hey Hospital we had in the very beginning. To them and especially top heart surgeon Mr Prem we will be eternally grateful.
My third rainbow baby Aurora meaning Goddess of the Dawn or light, named as we felt she would bring much needed light into our darkness, was born in July 2018. So far she has lived up to her name as she’s a cheerful, happy little baby.
A friend of mine suggested (over a year ago) I try to help others, giving advice and strategies for coping with loss. So this blog has been a long time coming but I have waited until I felt strong enough to share and it will detail the ways in which I have tried to deal with everything in case it might help someone else who has unfortunately found themselves in a similar situation.
It won’t all be heavy or emotional reading though as lots of my coping strategies include travel, eating amazing food and architecture/interior photography, so hopefully it will make enjoyable reading for those out there that are lucky enough not to be in a situation like mine. It will be full of photos showcasing some of the amazing places we have travelled to and the things we do in memory of our beautiful children.
I hope this site can give others inspiration and hope to overcome anything they are currently battling with in their lives.
We are also trying to create a lasting legacy in memory of our beautiful Violet and if you feel you would like to support us then she has a couple of fundraising pages links are – https://violet-stephens.muchloved.com and https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Violet-Stephens
We also held a Violet ball on 29th September 2018 at the Radisson Edwardian in Manchester and you can still donate via the links above.
If you also would like to follow what else is happening regarding Violet’s fund and hear about other fundraising events and activities then feel free to interact with her page on facebook the link is https://www.facebook.com/alwaysvioletskies
Trying to get on with life after child loss. I share my experiences to help others and lots of my coping strategies include travel, eating amazing food and architecture/interior photography, so hopefully this blog makes for enjoyable reading for those out there that are lucky enough not to be in a situation like mine. It is full of photos showcasing some of the amazing places we have travelled to and the things we do in memory of our beautiful children.
You can now purchase some of my photography at SarahStephensPh.redbubble.com and you can book travel with me too at https://sarahstephens.inteletravel.uk
Love & hugs,
Sarah