Beautiful Owyn sadly passed away in 2013, after which he stayed in our Forget Me Not ‘end of life suite.’ Since then, his parents Melissa and Kyan, have raised more than £14,000 for us in his memory.

Owyn suffered from Meconium Aspiration Syndrome immediately after he was born, a condition brought about when meconium (a baby’s first poo) is inhaled. Both of Owyn’s little lungs were damaged and he was put on a ventilator.

Consultants decided to put the tot on a machine that acted as an ‘external lung’, oxygenating his blood and pumping it around his body; allowing Owyn’s lungs time to heal. After only four days the nurses decided to try and wean Owyn off of the machine to see if he was able to oxygenate his own blood. Owyn managed to oxygenate 92% of his blood, but he needed at least 95%.

Owyn was put back on the machine and the plan was to try again when he was stronger. Unfortunately, after this, Owyn began to deteriorate and never got another chance to wean off.

After 15 tough days on the specialist equipment, the decision was made to turn off Owyn’s machine. The next day, Owyn was moved to a quiet, private treatment room where he was able to have some time with his mummy, daddy and family. Here he had all the tubes taken off and Owyn passed away peacefully in the arms of Melissa and Kyan.

The lead nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital spoke to the family about the next steps and Owyn’s Granny, Elaine, suggested Bluebell Wood because one of her friends had volunteered here.

Melissa said: “We went to the hospice the day after and neither of us knew what to expect. We just assumed there would be a room where Owyn would stay and we would be able to visit.

“We were warmly greeted by one of the nurses, Kate, who showed us the ‘Forget Me Not’ suite. She told us: ‘This is your kitchen, this is your bathroom, this is your living room and this is your bedroom where you will be able to stay and Owyn will be in his own room next door where you can visit him whenever you like.’

“We couldn’t believe it, we didn’t know what to expect but we most definitely didn’t expect this. She showed us the rest of the hospice, where we would be able to go if we wanted to speak to their counsellor and we were also shown the kitchen where we would be able to get our free meals.

“We remember thinking, how much will this cost? We were completely shocked when the answer to this question was nothing.”

Melissa and Kyan had ten days with their baby boy. They were able to visit him as often as they liked in a lovely environment where he had his own room and moses basket.

Kyan said: “It was almost like we were able to experience what it would have been like to have taken him home. We were able to make precious memories which we can treasure forever.”

Both Melissa and Kyan think of Bluebell Wood as a very special place in their hearts, where they feel close to Owyn. Kyan has undertaken many runs, tough mudders and challenges to raise money for our hospice – buying specialist equipment and amazing items to create special memories for our children.

They have since had a daughter, who will always be told about the importance of Bluebell Wood to their family. Kyan added: “We always visit each year and want to do as much for Bluebell Wood as we can. It’s a very special place.”

 

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