A young mum has been making memory boxes to donate to Southmead Hospital following the death of her baby daughter in January 2021. Tiffany Sparrow, 21, from Portishead and her partner Patryk Danelski, 22, found out they were expecting their daughter Matylda when Tiffany was 18.
On her 19th birthday, she reached her 19th week of pregnancy, however just five days later her waters broke and the couple were told to expect a miscarriage within 48 hours. Tiffany said: "If she was born breathing, we were told she'd be put in our arms to pass away with no medical intervention as she wasn't 'at viability'.
"But incredibly our Tillie held on [in the womb] for another 10 weeks, making it past viability and into the third trimester. After 10 horrendous weeks of bed rest and hospital appointments, and a fair share of in-patient hospital stays, our Tillie passed away on January 18, 2021."
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Tiffany went on to say: "She was absolutely beautiful with the cutest button nose, thick blonde hair and dimples like her daddy. I just felt a rush of so many emotions and I still do now.
"I will never understand why this had to happen to us. Why our first and only baby was taken away from us so soon. But I know I can't change the pain I feel so I do everything I can to try to ease other people's - 'you can let your anger destroy you, or you can use it for something'."
Five months after losing her daughter, Tiffany took part in a 'Take to the skies to save babies' lives' event held by Sands, the UK's leading stillbirth and neonatal death charity. She embarked on a 15,000ft skydive as part of the event, raising £1015 for the charity and began posting her story on TikTok, where she has since amassed more than 10 million views over the last year and a half alone.
She has also embarked on creating memory boxes for Southmead Hospital, where she received care during and after her pregnancy. Tiffany has set up a link for people to donate to her cause, which she has named 'WithLoveTillie' and is hoping to donate all of the memory boxes she creates in time for what would have been her daughter's second birthday on January 18, 2023.
She told Bristol Live: "When Matylda was born at 29 weeks everything we had bought for her was just too big and we never had the chance to dress her. For the last couple of months I’ve been making blankets and hats and teddy bears.
"Each outfit costs around £25 so all the donations go towards buying them and every outfit will come with a blanket, hat and two matching teddies so the parents can keep one, as well as a nappy to fit. Withlovetillie is for babies who don’t make it to the NICU from the labour and delivery room and the babies who don’t make it home from the NICU."
You can follow Tiffany's story on TikTok and contribute to her memory box campaign, by clicking here.
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