The Florence Rose Fund
Donation protected
On the 30th of September at 19.45 our life dream came true, our perfect girl Florence Rose Palmer was born. She came out with her arm up in the air like the super baby she is. 8lb 1.5oz of pure perfection, golden hair, chubby cheeks and legs. The most perfect baby we had ever seen. We spent that evening crying and then laughing at each other because every time we looked at her we just couldn't believe our perfect girl was here and in shock that we created such a beautiful baby. We were so happy and in love. The following day after the paediatrician declared her healthy, we left the hospital a family of 3. On our first night at home Florence started to breathe fast, she was settled and calm but Ella, whether her being a nurse or just motherly instinct, knew something wasn't right so decided to take Florence back into the hospital at around 4am. Doctors weren't too concerned with Florence however, as her respiratory rate was high requested Florence stayed a couple of nights in NICU to be monitored. We were told she would be home in a couple of days. Shortly after, Florence became extremely unwell she had started to have seizures and it was found her brain had become swollen. After suspected meningitis and the discussion of severe disability and death, it was then discovered after the consultant decided to run a very rare blood test, that Florence had an extremely high level of ammonia in her blood. Ammonia is caused when the body can not break down protein and essentially poisons the body. NICU had never seen a case like this before and therefore Florence needed to be transferred to the Bristol Children's Hospital for emergency dialysis under the specialist metabolic team. Heartbreakingly nothing could be done to save our girl and Florence passed away in her Daddy's arms in the early hours of the morning of the 3rd October 2019. At that moment our world flipped 360°, the pure happiness we had, turned into complete heart break and sadness. Our lives destroyed and never to be the same again. She was our purpose. Our happiness. Our healthy baby girl had gone.
Florence was then transferred to St Michael's mortuary. As her death was so unexpected, she required a post mortem. Because she was (is) such a complex case this took a long three months to be completed. So for for three months every other Sunday, Florence's Daddy, Ryan, would go to St Micheal's mortuary and spend time with her. He would sit in a room cuddling her, singing nursery rhymes which he never knew he knew the words to, to her, watching films with her. He dressed her, did hand and foot prints and most of all got to spend precious time with her before her funeral.
So here is our vision and the reason we need your help... we want to build a 'pod' like building at the Royal United Hospital in Bath in memory of our girl. 'The Florence Rose Room'. The RUH is where Florence was born and also where her Mummy is a Nurse. The rooms purpose is a place where bereaved families can spend time with their baby or young child in a home like environment before they go to the funeral directors. In Florence's case this took months. We are aware that currently if a baby is stillborn or dies at the RUH, there are rooms on the delivery suite and NICU, there is also a dedicated room on the maternity ward and also the chapel of rest where families can spend time with their baby. However for us personally, and we imagine other bereaved parents too, there is no way we would have wanted to walk back onto NICU with our traumatic memories of her being so unwell or back on to the delivery suite or maternity ward where happy parents and healthy babies are, to see our deceased baby. The Florence Rose Room could also be used to hold post mortem meetings where the parents of the baby discover the cause of their child's death. Ideally the Florence Rose Room will be situated on the outskirts of the hospital, giving no reason for the family to have to walk back into the hospital.
The Florence Rose Room idea will be designed so parents, siblings, family and friends can spend some 'normal' time with their baby, time they will never get otherwise. The vision is to have a cosy room with calm lighting, comfortable sofas, a tv with films, books to read with snacks and drinks funded by us. The pod will have large patio doors leading into a small courtyard garden, so parents can walk outside with their baby in their arms in a private, secure environment. They can show their baby the sky and the clouds whilst listening to the birds. The Florence Rose Room will provide them a chance to create special memories they have been stolen of.
Our vision is yet to be agreed with the hospital. Obviously something as big as this will require space in the hospital grounds, official designing, planning permission etc. We know this will take time. However, we are determined to achieve this not just for our girl but for all the other angel babies who are born too perfect for this world and for families who have to go through the huge trauma of losing their much dreamt of and loved child.
Florence may have been on this earth for too short a time, but in that time we know she would have been such a kind little girl. We know she would have wanted to help people. She was such a sweet little baby. She already has had such an huge impact on people including those we have never even met. We are so proud of her.
So to help us help others and ensure our girl will NEVER be forgotten. We need your help in raising the money to create our vision. (We are unsure yet of how much it will cost. We are thinking around the £25,000 + mark). We know money is tight but whether this means just a small donation, or even a share of this page, anything will help. An offer of your services or if you want to run a marathon, jump out of a plane, make a cake, climb a mountain or even hold an event, please consider Florence when choosing your charity. If your works company can use us as their charity for 2020. ANYTHING and everything will be appreciated.
Once we have raised a good amount of money, we intend on meeting with the RUH with these plans, explaining it will be fully funded by everyone who donated. If for some reason the RUH do not allow these plans to happen, your money will go towards something else, neonatal death related. Either way we will keep you updated and our girl Florence Rose Palmer is going to make a difference. Watch this space!
First target of £5000 reached on the 20/02/20. Thankyou!!
Meeting being held at the hospital on 28/02/20 to confirm if plans can go ahead. We will then be able to register as a charity as we will have a clear buisness plan.
Target now raised to £10,000. Lets keep going! Thankyou!!
We were so close to getting the final go ahead from the hospital but due to COVID, the final meeting didn't take place. We are hoping this will happen once everything settles down. So in the mean time we will continue to raise as much money as we can.
Thankyou xx
Florence was then transferred to St Michael's mortuary. As her death was so unexpected, she required a post mortem. Because she was (is) such a complex case this took a long three months to be completed. So for for three months every other Sunday, Florence's Daddy, Ryan, would go to St Micheal's mortuary and spend time with her. He would sit in a room cuddling her, singing nursery rhymes which he never knew he knew the words to, to her, watching films with her. He dressed her, did hand and foot prints and most of all got to spend precious time with her before her funeral.
So here is our vision and the reason we need your help... we want to build a 'pod' like building at the Royal United Hospital in Bath in memory of our girl. 'The Florence Rose Room'. The RUH is where Florence was born and also where her Mummy is a Nurse. The rooms purpose is a place where bereaved families can spend time with their baby or young child in a home like environment before they go to the funeral directors. In Florence's case this took months. We are aware that currently if a baby is stillborn or dies at the RUH, there are rooms on the delivery suite and NICU, there is also a dedicated room on the maternity ward and also the chapel of rest where families can spend time with their baby. However for us personally, and we imagine other bereaved parents too, there is no way we would have wanted to walk back onto NICU with our traumatic memories of her being so unwell or back on to the delivery suite or maternity ward where happy parents and healthy babies are, to see our deceased baby. The Florence Rose Room could also be used to hold post mortem meetings where the parents of the baby discover the cause of their child's death. Ideally the Florence Rose Room will be situated on the outskirts of the hospital, giving no reason for the family to have to walk back into the hospital.
The Florence Rose Room idea will be designed so parents, siblings, family and friends can spend some 'normal' time with their baby, time they will never get otherwise. The vision is to have a cosy room with calm lighting, comfortable sofas, a tv with films, books to read with snacks and drinks funded by us. The pod will have large patio doors leading into a small courtyard garden, so parents can walk outside with their baby in their arms in a private, secure environment. They can show their baby the sky and the clouds whilst listening to the birds. The Florence Rose Room will provide them a chance to create special memories they have been stolen of.
Our vision is yet to be agreed with the hospital. Obviously something as big as this will require space in the hospital grounds, official designing, planning permission etc. We know this will take time. However, we are determined to achieve this not just for our girl but for all the other angel babies who are born too perfect for this world and for families who have to go through the huge trauma of losing their much dreamt of and loved child.
Florence may have been on this earth for too short a time, but in that time we know she would have been such a kind little girl. We know she would have wanted to help people. She was such a sweet little baby. She already has had such an huge impact on people including those we have never even met. We are so proud of her.
So to help us help others and ensure our girl will NEVER be forgotten. We need your help in raising the money to create our vision. (We are unsure yet of how much it will cost. We are thinking around the £25,000 + mark). We know money is tight but whether this means just a small donation, or even a share of this page, anything will help. An offer of your services or if you want to run a marathon, jump out of a plane, make a cake, climb a mountain or even hold an event, please consider Florence when choosing your charity. If your works company can use us as their charity for 2020. ANYTHING and everything will be appreciated.
Once we have raised a good amount of money, we intend on meeting with the RUH with these plans, explaining it will be fully funded by everyone who donated. If for some reason the RUH do not allow these plans to happen, your money will go towards something else, neonatal death related. Either way we will keep you updated and our girl Florence Rose Palmer is going to make a difference. Watch this space!
First target of £5000 reached on the 20/02/20. Thankyou!!
Meeting being held at the hospital on 28/02/20 to confirm if plans can go ahead. We will then be able to register as a charity as we will have a clear buisness plan.
Target now raised to £10,000. Lets keep going! Thankyou!!
We were so close to getting the final go ahead from the hospital but due to COVID, the final meeting didn't take place. We are hoping this will happen once everything settles down. So in the mean time we will continue to raise as much money as we can.
Thankyou xx
Organizer
Ella Palmer
Organizer
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