The heartbroken dad of a newborn baby who died at just four days old has paid tribute to her taking on a challenge in her memory.
Jamie Towers and partner Sammy Belshaw’s baby Arianna Louise Towers was born at 38 weeks with a hole in her heart on Sunday, May 28 at Newcastle’s RVI.
The couple from Coundon were initially told Arianna could have a 98% chance of living a normal life until a further complication was found.
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Doctors told the new parents that their beloved baby girl was too small to undergo surgery and there was nothing more they could do for her.
She died at just four days old on Thursday, June 1 having been transferred to the Freeman Hospital.
Jamie, a plumber, 31, told the Echo: “We found out quite early there was a bit of fluid around her neck. They did tests and found she had AVSD (Atrioventricular septal defect) –basically, a hole in her heart.
“The doctors said she had over a 98% chance of having a good life but when she was born they found another problem with her heart and it made it too complex to do anything because of how small she was.”
AVSD is a heart defect where there are holes between the chambers of the heart and the valves controlling blood form may not be formed correctly.
Doctors had a meeting while Jamie and Sammy, a retail assistant, 30, waited anxiously for news about whether their daughter could undergo surgery.
“When you find out there is nothing they can do, it’s your worst nightmare,” Jamie added.
“She was taken to her own room on the Wednesday (May 31) and we were able to get out family in to come and meet her.
“We were able to stay with her all night and we didn’t know whether she’d be with us for a couple of hours or more.
“When we were with her, we didn’t feel the pain – she had this presence aura where we smiled being around her.
“She died at quarter to eleven – it was the absolute worst feeling.”
Last Saturday (August 12) Jamie took on a gruelling walk from his Coundon home near Bishop Auckland to the Freeman in Newcastle, via the RVI where Arianna was born, in his daughter’s memory.
In the process, he raised almost £4,000 for the Freeman’s Children’s Heart Unit Fund and 4Louis – a charity which supports families through miscarriage, stillbirth, and child loss.
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He said: “It was after the funeral I wanted to do something to remember her and decided to walk from our house to the Freeman, from where Arianna’s journey started to where it ended.
“It was emotional when we got there because it was the first time we had been back since it all unfolded.
“There were nine of us who did the entire walk and about 18 who finished it at the Freeman.
Jamie, who also has son Tyler-Jay, 9, and daughter Gracie-Rose, now plans on completing a special fundraiser every year with high ambitions including a possible skydive in 2024.
“I want to keep her legacy and name going and Sammy is looking into becoming a bereavement counsellor to help other families.”
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