My name is Natasha and I am Ava’s Mummy over the next few weeks I will be sharing Ava’s story. ✨

I am hoping to raise at least £5,000 in aid of the Neo-natal unit in Craigavon Area Hospital and The Little Forget Me Nots Trust in memory of our baby daughter Ava Haughey.

This year has been the year we never envisaged, not in our wildest nightmares.

I have felt so strongly about giving back, to try and help other families who will find themselves in our position.

On the 29th of November we are going to raise funds in Ava’s memory and in aid of the Neonatal unit in Craigavon and The Little Forget Me Nots. We will be running a static cycle over a 9 hour period in the Garvaghey GAA Centre.

We would love and appreciate everyone’s support, whether that is giving up some time on that day to cycle and or to donate.

I had never set foot in a Neo-natal unit prior to Ava being born, Ava was taken to the unit as a precautionary measure as she needed antibiotics and antiviral medication, much to everyone’s shock, the trauma and complete heartbreak that followed on day 4 I am still not able to put into words. But it opened my eyes very wide to daily torment parents suffer in the unit watching their children fight for their lives.

If our love, prayers and will could have saved Ava she would never have died. We will forever be indebted to the nurses and Doctors who cared for Ava, they treated her like their own and cried when we lost her. They welcomed our family and friends in to meet Ava and for that we are forever grateful.

The reality that we have been faced with is that you never know when you will need services like the Neo-Natal or the support of a bereavement charity, and if you are able to support in any way we would be forever grateful.

As I said you never know when you will need these vital services, unfortunately this year we were hit so hard, so unknowingly and brought to our knees and I feel totally compelled to raise awareness of the daily work they do.

This time last year I was completely unaware that these services were to become our life lines.