The grieving parents of a child who died after just seven hours have vowed to help others in their position. Charlie McAndrew, 20, and Natalie Hudson, 19, from Bilborough lost their baby Cruz on January 3 shortly after he was born, to what doctors suggest could have been Renal Hepatic Pancreatic Dysplasia, a complex and rare disease which caused him major heart problems, liver complications, and tumours in the kidney.
The couple were able to spend more valuable time with Cruz after his death because of a medical device which they say is in short supply in the UK - a cold cot. A cold cot is a refrigerated cot that allows parents to spend longer with their baby than would otherwise be possible.
The pair are now fundraising to buy the machines for Queen's Medical Centre and Nottingham City Hospital. Dad Charlie McAndrew, 20, said: "From about five or six months in the pregnancy we found out quite a few problems about Cruz, they found lots of tumours in his liver and he had a blocked bladder. Since he passed away they came to us with the potential diagnosis of Renal Hepatic Pancreatic Dysplasia, and there were less than 10 families in the world suffering with that.
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"He was born at 12.35pm at QMC and then he passed away seven hours later. When we spoke to all the consultants and the neo-natal staff they told us he would be lucky to make it out of the theatre."
Charlie, who works as a property cleaner, said the cot helped the couple's grieving process. "The cold cot helped to deal with his death after he was taken off the ventilator - they're basically like a refrigerated cot so it keeps the baby cold. It means after they pass away you have more time with them and they change less. When he passed away it was on a Monday and we didn't leave him until the weekend, so we spent a good five days with him. Without that you're talking probably just a day or hours," he added.
"They are very limited in the UK and Ireland - I think there is only 86. And there are only two of them are in Nottingham.
"They're quite pricey. We want to get want to get one for QMC, Nottingham City Hospital and Leicester Infirmary as well because we dealt with them a lot.
Cruz's parents are arranging raffles and tombolas, with their fundraising page for charity Abigail's Footsteps nearly at £2,000. Cold cots reportedly cost around £1,500.
Mum Natalie Hudson, 19, who works as a mental health support worker, said: "Cruz was the most perfect baby you could ever wish for, I miss him every day of my life but we know that he is with us every step of the way. And every day is one day closer to being with him again. We want to give back to parents who sadly go through the same heartbreak as us.
"The cold cot allowed us to make memories with our son that I will cherish forever and allowed us to spend the time we needed with Cruz. Mummy and daddy miss you so much and your name will stay with us forever.
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