Everett Nathaniel Lord
Donation protected
Today, April 12th, is our beautiful son Everett's due date. He was born December 22nd at 24 weeks old and fought incredibly hard for 6 days to stay with us. On December 28th, our hearts were shattered when Everett passed peacefully, snuggled in our arms.
Everett is our firstborn and is an incredibly special little boy. He made Paddy and I parents, our parents were made grandparents and our siblings were made aunties and uncles for the first time. He is loved beyond measure and his absence has left a painful void in our lives that will last our lifetime.
In his 6 short days, Everett gave us an insight into the little boy he would have been. He was full of personality and a bit of sass from the get go. Everett moved constantly, just as he had done when he was in the womb. He spent Christmas Day wiggling his little bum at his amused nurse Elaine. Her little flirt! He had his daddy's moves! He loved to have his hand held and when he would hear our voices his little hand would reach out and he had a bit of an impatient side if we didn't get in there pronto. He kept his doctors and nurses on their toes, pulling out wires and causing divilment as soon as their backs were turned. He was a little monkey and we loved it!
Everett was going to be tall like his daddy. He had his daddy's nose and hairline. He had my long fingers and toes. His feet were definitely feet of a future basketball player! They were so perfectly formed and a decent size! On December 27th I went into the NICU and was met with the sight of two big beautiful eyes staring up at me. They were just like his daddy's eyes, exactly what I'd wished for. It is very rare for a 24 week old to have their eyes open as this doesn't usually happen until 27/28 weeks. It was an incredible sight to see and we are beyond proud of our little fighter.
Today, like everyday, brings insufferable pain not having Everett here with us. However, today we want to give back and create some good in our little boys name on the day he was due to make his entrance into the world. The kindness and support we have received during the most difficult time of our lives has been unwavering and now it is time to give something back. We had lots of fundraising ideas in mind, however given the current situation we don't know when we will be able to make those ideas a reality.
The following charities and organisations are those who brought light into our darkest hour.
Hugh's House - set up by a bereaved mother Ade, who lost her little boy Hugh. Ade set up the charity to provide accommodation near the hospital for parents who don't live in Dublin. We were given a room in Hugh's house for the duration of Everett's time in hospital so we could be close at all times. This meant that we could devote all our time and energy on Everett instead of worrying about where we would stay and the financial cost of it. An incredible resource for any parent who finds themselves in our situation.
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS) - The beautiful photo you see of Everett was taken by NILMDTS. They are a charity organisation whereby photographers from all over Ireland sign up and donate their time and talent to give families the gift of professional photographs of their baby. We were unsure of this when it was first suggested but we are so so thankful we were guided to have them done. We have beautiful family portraits to hang on our wall with pride. Jim was our photographer and gave up hours of his time to take Everett's photos. This also allowed us to have the time to be completely present with Everett. We cannot imagine not having our beautiful family photos.
Feileacain - set up by bereaved parents, gave us the gift of time with Everett by providing us with a cold cot so that we could have him with us after he passed. To have him with us to catch up on all the kisses and cuddles was invaluable to us and our families. Feileacain also provided us with a beautiful memory box for Everett. We were able to take his hand and foot prints, a lock of his hair, a candle and two teddies, one that was placed with Everett and one for us to have. Feileacain also provided the resources to take clay prints of Everett's hands and feet. This has recently been delivered in a beautiful frame, personalised with Everett's name and date of birth. Another beautiful memory to hang on our wall with pride. Feileacain also provide ongoing support to bereaved parents and work tirelessly to ensure our little babies are never forgotten.
Helping Holles St. - Holles St. Hospital where heroes truly work. We cannot begin to put into words what the staff of Holles St. mean to us. They fought so hard for Everett. They hoped with us, they prayed with us and they cried with us. Each and every member of staff went above and beyond their call of duty. They spoke to us about Everett as if he were one of their own and always gave us time, that I'm sure they couldn't afford to give, to make sure we understood what was happening at all times. They guided us through the most difficult and darkest time with professionalism, kindness and care for which we are forever indebted and will spend a lifetime trying to repay.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who have shown us kindness and support during this time. Everett was so very loved by so many. It is hard to talk about it all when it is still so raw but please don't shy away from talking about Everett and saying his name. Keeping our little boy's memory alive is so important to us. He will forever be part of our family.
Thank you, take care and stay safe.
Paddy, Sinead & Everett
Everett is our firstborn and is an incredibly special little boy. He made Paddy and I parents, our parents were made grandparents and our siblings were made aunties and uncles for the first time. He is loved beyond measure and his absence has left a painful void in our lives that will last our lifetime.
In his 6 short days, Everett gave us an insight into the little boy he would have been. He was full of personality and a bit of sass from the get go. Everett moved constantly, just as he had done when he was in the womb. He spent Christmas Day wiggling his little bum at his amused nurse Elaine. Her little flirt! He had his daddy's moves! He loved to have his hand held and when he would hear our voices his little hand would reach out and he had a bit of an impatient side if we didn't get in there pronto. He kept his doctors and nurses on their toes, pulling out wires and causing divilment as soon as their backs were turned. He was a little monkey and we loved it!
Everett was going to be tall like his daddy. He had his daddy's nose and hairline. He had my long fingers and toes. His feet were definitely feet of a future basketball player! They were so perfectly formed and a decent size! On December 27th I went into the NICU and was met with the sight of two big beautiful eyes staring up at me. They were just like his daddy's eyes, exactly what I'd wished for. It is very rare for a 24 week old to have their eyes open as this doesn't usually happen until 27/28 weeks. It was an incredible sight to see and we are beyond proud of our little fighter.
Today, like everyday, brings insufferable pain not having Everett here with us. However, today we want to give back and create some good in our little boys name on the day he was due to make his entrance into the world. The kindness and support we have received during the most difficult time of our lives has been unwavering and now it is time to give something back. We had lots of fundraising ideas in mind, however given the current situation we don't know when we will be able to make those ideas a reality.
The following charities and organisations are those who brought light into our darkest hour.
Hugh's House - set up by a bereaved mother Ade, who lost her little boy Hugh. Ade set up the charity to provide accommodation near the hospital for parents who don't live in Dublin. We were given a room in Hugh's house for the duration of Everett's time in hospital so we could be close at all times. This meant that we could devote all our time and energy on Everett instead of worrying about where we would stay and the financial cost of it. An incredible resource for any parent who finds themselves in our situation.
Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep (NILMDTS) - The beautiful photo you see of Everett was taken by NILMDTS. They are a charity organisation whereby photographers from all over Ireland sign up and donate their time and talent to give families the gift of professional photographs of their baby. We were unsure of this when it was first suggested but we are so so thankful we were guided to have them done. We have beautiful family portraits to hang on our wall with pride. Jim was our photographer and gave up hours of his time to take Everett's photos. This also allowed us to have the time to be completely present with Everett. We cannot imagine not having our beautiful family photos.
Feileacain - set up by bereaved parents, gave us the gift of time with Everett by providing us with a cold cot so that we could have him with us after he passed. To have him with us to catch up on all the kisses and cuddles was invaluable to us and our families. Feileacain also provided us with a beautiful memory box for Everett. We were able to take his hand and foot prints, a lock of his hair, a candle and two teddies, one that was placed with Everett and one for us to have. Feileacain also provided the resources to take clay prints of Everett's hands and feet. This has recently been delivered in a beautiful frame, personalised with Everett's name and date of birth. Another beautiful memory to hang on our wall with pride. Feileacain also provide ongoing support to bereaved parents and work tirelessly to ensure our little babies are never forgotten.
Helping Holles St. - Holles St. Hospital where heroes truly work. We cannot begin to put into words what the staff of Holles St. mean to us. They fought so hard for Everett. They hoped with us, they prayed with us and they cried with us. Each and every member of staff went above and beyond their call of duty. They spoke to us about Everett as if he were one of their own and always gave us time, that I'm sure they couldn't afford to give, to make sure we understood what was happening at all times. They guided us through the most difficult and darkest time with professionalism, kindness and care for which we are forever indebted and will spend a lifetime trying to repay.
We would also like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who have shown us kindness and support during this time. Everett was so very loved by so many. It is hard to talk about it all when it is still so raw but please don't shy away from talking about Everett and saying his name. Keeping our little boy's memory alive is so important to us. He will forever be part of our family.
Thank you, take care and stay safe.
Paddy, Sinead & Everett
Organizer
Paddy and Sinead Lord
Organizer