Late last year, we lost our precious daughter, Penelope. Since losing her, our world has completely fallen apart. Not only have we had to grieve the unimaginable loss of our baby girl, but we’ve also had to live with the heartbreak of knowing that she may still be here today if things had been handled differently.

In January, we received a devastating phone call from Townsville Hospital informing us that Penelope was never sent for her autopsy. This was a decision we had to make the day she passed — a decision that completely broke us, knowing she would have to be sent to Brisbane and undergo an autopsy. But we wanted answers about what happened to our daughter.

We were then told Penelope had been forgotten and left in the morgue for weeks.

As time has gone on and we’ve reflected on everything that happened, we’ve started to realise the failures and neglect extended far beyond just the autopsy. Things simply don’t add up.

During my pregnancy, I had an infection which caused me to go into early labour. We believe this should have been identified earlier, however those results are now said to be “missing.” I attended Townsville Hospital early that morning in severe pain. More tests were done, but I was sent home feeling completely dismissed and unheard. By 9:30 that night, I returned still in agony and was told I was already 6cm dilated and in labour.

We truly believe that if my results had been properly reviewed days earlier, my early labour may have been prevented.

When Penelope was born, she was doing so well. Within two weeks, she had gone from looking like a tiny premature baby to a healthy, thriving little girl. Doctors and midwives repeatedly told us she was “doing the best in NICU,” which gave us so much hope and confidence. We genuinely never thought we would lose her.

In the days before Penelope passed, she began showing signs that something was wrong. She was becoming sick during feeds and increasingly unsettled — symptoms we have since learned can be early signs of NEC (Necrotising Enterocolitis), a serious condition common in premature babies. By the time it was recognised, it was too late. Penelope developed sepsis and sadly passed away.

We are left asking ourselves every day: why weren’t these signs investigated sooner?

We feel we have been failed on so many levels. The trauma, grief, and heartbreak have completely changed our lives. Doug and I have both been unable to work as we struggle daily with our mental health and the devastating loss of our daughter.

We are now pursuing legal action in hopes of getting answers, accountability, and justice for Penelope. This process has come with overwhelming financial costs, and we never imagined we would be in this position.

More than anything, we do not want another family to experience this kind of pain and negligence. Penelope mattered. Her life mattered. And she deserves justice.

If you have it in your heart to support us — whether that’s through donating or simply sharing our story — we would be forever grateful.

Thank you for helping us fight for our baby girl.