Cameron's Cot
Donation protected
I have started this go fund me to purchase 2 Cuddle Cots, one for Charlotte Hungerford Hospital Maternity Ward where I am a Labor and Delivery nurse, and another for a second local hospital. There are still so many hospitals that do not have these! The Cuddle Cot keeps the baby cool to allow the family of a stillborn, more time with their infant - this can give them days instead of hours. In the US, 1 in every 160 births is a stillbirth. Donate in Cameron's memory to give the gift of time to a family who has suffered the loss of an infant. No donation is too small.
Cameron's Story
It has been almost 6 months since losing our sweet baby boy. I have been quiet about his story, keeping it to ourselves and those that are close to us. It is hard to talk about what took his life, hard to cope with the reality of his death. We waited a long time before making the decision to add to our family. Hannah kept us on our toes, and did not want to sleep through the night until age 3. Last spring, we decided it was finally time. In July we saw those 2 pink lines we were so desperately waiting for. On October 8th, we had a gender reveal party where we learned we were having a boy! All was well in our pregnancy, besides the normal morning sickness that comes with it. All my blood tests came back normal, we were so excited. At Cameron's anatomy scan at 18 weeks, he was very stubborn. He stayed face down and back to the ultrasound, making hard work for the tech. They said all looked well and that they didn't get a great look at his face or heart, so we decided I would come back for a second ultrasound. On November 18th, while Jeremy and I were away celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary, we decided we would announce on social media that we were pregnant. We were so excited to share our news. On December 8th, I got up and took Hannah to school and headed to my repeat anatomy ultrasound. I look back to that morning and think to myself, that was the last time my life was normal. Little did I know what that day would bring. During my ultrasound, I could tell something wasn't right. The tech had the doctor come and scan me, and then they had me wait in the waiting room. Jeremy did not come with me since we figured this was a routine ultrasound. I was told to head over to my doctors office because he wanted to speak with me. The doctors office is one building over from the hospital, so I walked. My heart was beating out of my chest knowing I was about to receive bad news. I walked into the office, and my doctor stood with a sad look on his face. He said something was wrong with the baby's heart, and they see fluid around his lungs. Jeremy came home from work and we headed straight to UCONN for a more advanced ultrasound. For 3 hours, they scanned my baby boy and did an amniocentesis. Cameron was so active during the ultrasounds, kicking and squirming. He was so perfect. The doctors determined Cameron had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. To give you a brief explanation of that, the left side of his heart had not developed properly. It is one of the worst cardiac defects to exist. We also learned that he had a large amount of fluid around his lungs pushing his heart to the right side of his chest. Since this day was a Friday, we set up an appointment for Monday to meet with a team of pediatric cardiologists to learn more about Cameron's condition. We spent the rest of that night, Saturday, and Sunday morning in a state of shock. I researched his condition for hours, learning about the surgeries he would require and what his life would be like. I remember feeling him give me a swift kick on Sunday morning, I felt like it was his way of saying "I'm ok mom". On Sunday evening, December 10th, I realized I hadn't felt him move since that kick in the morning. I tried to find his heartbeat with my doppler, and there was nothing. I knew in that moment he was gone. On Monday morning I went into my doctors office where my worst fear was confirmed, Cameron was gone. On Wednesday we arrived at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital labor and delivery unit to be induced. I was welcomed off the elevator with embracing hugs from my co workers, my family. I delivered Cameron the following day, Thursday, December 14th, 2017 at 12:23 pm. His little body was put on my chest, and we all embraced him. He was so perfect. 10 fingers, 10 toes, and the cutest little button nose. I never saw his eyes open or watched him take a breath. We were surrounded by our closest family and friends, who each held Cameron and showed him so much love. We made footprints and keepsakes, helping make memories we could keep. Unfortunately, his little body was quickly deteriorating and changing. We wanted to remember him how he was, so we made the decision to let the funeral home come and take him. I could have held my son for my whole life, no time was enough. Watching him be taken from my room for the last time will forever be one of the hardest moments of my life.
Although Cameron never opened his eyes in this world, he did exist. His life matters, and I want his memory to live on. By purchasing a Cuddle Cot for Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, families will have precious time with their sweet angels.
Thank you so much for reading Cameron's Story <3
Cameron's Story
It has been almost 6 months since losing our sweet baby boy. I have been quiet about his story, keeping it to ourselves and those that are close to us. It is hard to talk about what took his life, hard to cope with the reality of his death. We waited a long time before making the decision to add to our family. Hannah kept us on our toes, and did not want to sleep through the night until age 3. Last spring, we decided it was finally time. In July we saw those 2 pink lines we were so desperately waiting for. On October 8th, we had a gender reveal party where we learned we were having a boy! All was well in our pregnancy, besides the normal morning sickness that comes with it. All my blood tests came back normal, we were so excited. At Cameron's anatomy scan at 18 weeks, he was very stubborn. He stayed face down and back to the ultrasound, making hard work for the tech. They said all looked well and that they didn't get a great look at his face or heart, so we decided I would come back for a second ultrasound. On November 18th, while Jeremy and I were away celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary, we decided we would announce on social media that we were pregnant. We were so excited to share our news. On December 8th, I got up and took Hannah to school and headed to my repeat anatomy ultrasound. I look back to that morning and think to myself, that was the last time my life was normal. Little did I know what that day would bring. During my ultrasound, I could tell something wasn't right. The tech had the doctor come and scan me, and then they had me wait in the waiting room. Jeremy did not come with me since we figured this was a routine ultrasound. I was told to head over to my doctors office because he wanted to speak with me. The doctors office is one building over from the hospital, so I walked. My heart was beating out of my chest knowing I was about to receive bad news. I walked into the office, and my doctor stood with a sad look on his face. He said something was wrong with the baby's heart, and they see fluid around his lungs. Jeremy came home from work and we headed straight to UCONN for a more advanced ultrasound. For 3 hours, they scanned my baby boy and did an amniocentesis. Cameron was so active during the ultrasounds, kicking and squirming. He was so perfect. The doctors determined Cameron had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. To give you a brief explanation of that, the left side of his heart had not developed properly. It is one of the worst cardiac defects to exist. We also learned that he had a large amount of fluid around his lungs pushing his heart to the right side of his chest. Since this day was a Friday, we set up an appointment for Monday to meet with a team of pediatric cardiologists to learn more about Cameron's condition. We spent the rest of that night, Saturday, and Sunday morning in a state of shock. I researched his condition for hours, learning about the surgeries he would require and what his life would be like. I remember feeling him give me a swift kick on Sunday morning, I felt like it was his way of saying "I'm ok mom". On Sunday evening, December 10th, I realized I hadn't felt him move since that kick in the morning. I tried to find his heartbeat with my doppler, and there was nothing. I knew in that moment he was gone. On Monday morning I went into my doctors office where my worst fear was confirmed, Cameron was gone. On Wednesday we arrived at Charlotte Hungerford Hospital labor and delivery unit to be induced. I was welcomed off the elevator with embracing hugs from my co workers, my family. I delivered Cameron the following day, Thursday, December 14th, 2017 at 12:23 pm. His little body was put on my chest, and we all embraced him. He was so perfect. 10 fingers, 10 toes, and the cutest little button nose. I never saw his eyes open or watched him take a breath. We were surrounded by our closest family and friends, who each held Cameron and showed him so much love. We made footprints and keepsakes, helping make memories we could keep. Unfortunately, his little body was quickly deteriorating and changing. We wanted to remember him how he was, so we made the decision to let the funeral home come and take him. I could have held my son for my whole life, no time was enough. Watching him be taken from my room for the last time will forever be one of the hardest moments of my life.
Although Cameron never opened his eyes in this world, he did exist. His life matters, and I want his memory to live on. By purchasing a Cuddle Cot for Charlotte Hungerford Hospital, families will have precious time with their sweet angels.
Thank you so much for reading Cameron's Story <3
Organizer
Melissa Beecher
Organizer
Torrington, CT
