Hugo’s Helping Hands

My name is Donnamarie, I am from

Seaham and this is my story is about my two close friends and their gorgeous baby boy Hugo Karlson William Owen. I truly appreciate you taking the time to read their story.

On the 27th of May 2023 after a tramatic emergancy c-section an amazing strong beautiful baby boy named Hugo was born. After a happy and healthy pregnancy it was a huge shock to for his parents to be sat down and told their precious little boy had a 50/50 chance of survival. Hugo was critical on life support and could have or later develop severe neurological damage, intellectual disability and cerebral palsy due to been starved of oxygen for 11 minutes. Hugo had to go through therapeutic hypothermia a treatment which lowered his normal body temperature of 98.6°F to about 92.3°F – to keep a lower temperature stable for 72 hours.

Then hugo was slowly re-warmed back to 98.6°F in hope it would help prevent and decrease any further brain damage that had already accured. My friends continued to remain possitive when hugo made it through the process but felt crushed once again when a few days later he had a haemorrhage on the lung just one of the many side affects the warming process could cause, but once again Hugo the little fighter pulled through. In disbelief they spent a further two weeks in nicu and after numerous blood tests, scans and Ultrasounds they were told Hugo had a buildup of fluid and bleed on the brain. The EEG Electroencephalography scan showed electrical seizures and no activity of the brain despite the cooling and warming process, the damage was already to severe and they were told the most horrific news that no parent wants to or should hear. Hugo could no longer breathe on his own without a venterlator and would not survive. On the 11th of June baby owen devastatingly passed away. They still have so many questions that are unanswered and are still waiting on the post-mortem results from Hugo’s passing 4 months ago. The waiting is torturous for them both and still is a constant battle everyday wondering Why? what? Who? And how? They have continued to stay strong for Hugo and make him proud just like he did for everyone who loved him.

Despite being told they would receive help toward Hugo’s funeral, unfortunately this was not the case after already paying hundreds for the additional cost for things that hugo needed, deserved and they wanted for their son. They later found out no cost could be covered, regardless they still went ahead with all they planned which cost them thousands of pounds, as I am assuming any parent would to ensure their child had the best send off money could buy.

The bereavement team, midwifes and funeral directors attempted to reach out and help but unfortunately were also denied.

No matter what the cost Hugo had the best send off and my friends would not change a thing regardless.

Their hearts couldn't be broken anymore, daily life is a challenge in its self and they started counselling to help get through this horrendous nightmare, which was short lived when their first session was on the maternity ward in the hospital, raw heart wrenching memories which they are still trying to come to terms with flooded back walking the same corridors to the nicu unit where their son spent his first and last few weeks of life, watching expecting mothers holding the pregnancy packs and families holding scan photos as they walked passed, hearing little heart beats through the walls all became a bit too much, walking through the same door way of people carrying their babies home from the hospital, I find this very disturbing for bereaved parents of a baby having to go through and relive the trauma to attend their first bereavement counselling session. It left them more vulnerable, heartbroken traumatised and distressed.

They have decided to refuse counselling sessions untill they can find a more appropriate place to attend sessions something that i really feel would benefit them massively with this life long heartache they carry.

So once they got back home they started talking to me and we discussed how inappropriate the situation was and how they felt right now and they said they would hate to think of other parents/families having to feel how they did just reaching out for help!

We discussed a few possibilities but instead decided to raise as much money and hold fundraising events to reach out and help other families in the future. 

Just to add after the already traumatic 4-5 months life just continued to be cruel and the hurdles just kept coming

Around 2 weeks ago they woke to find their home that they worked so hard to build ready for Hugo arriving had been broken in too they stole their car which had personal belongings of Hugos including a dummy in a case, the police found the car that was crashed ten minute’s away from their home.

Luckily they now have Hugo’s dummy back but the most devastating thing that can not be replaced was a mobile phone which holds all their memories of their baby boy, also the keys to the car is no longer useful to them but holds the other half of the keyring they buried Hugo with and they desperately want them back.

My friends are the most supportive, generous,

Kindhearted people and would give and do anything for anyone so this is my way of helping them help others as their hearts are that big after that unsuccessful counselling session they did not just think ME ME ME they thought of every other person who would have to endure that walk to counselling!! So let’s get this pot big and help my friends and other families in the future!!

Thank you for reading my story about the Gorgeous Hugo Karlson William Owen and my two good friends!