From Lyra’s Mum & Dad:

As you will know, Lyra came into the world much earlier than she should’ve done, arriving on 7 February. Before she came we knew very little about the world of premature babies but had to learn quickly and we are so grateful that we had the world-class care of the Neonatal Intensive Care team at Liverpool Women’s Hospital to guide us every step of the way, on a journey that no baby or parent should have to go on.

From day one Lyra needed the support of too many machines and medications to count. This equipment costs thousands of pounds but everything she needed was just there without question, set up so quickly and quietly that you hardly even noticed, by the kind of medical staff who were truly angels without wings. Never fussing, never hurrying, never complaining and nothing too much trouble for this precious baby who they treated around the clock as if she were their own. Their care for Lyra was beyond what we could ever describe but their care for us at the most worrying time of our lives meant just as much. They were always there guiding and teaching us how to be involved from day one, making sure we understood what was happening and even checking that we had eaten - when they hadn’t had time to themselves. No parent should ever have to know about the work that goes on behind the scenes to look after these babies but thank God it is there. The first days, touching a tiny baby and learning how to change them through two windows in an incubator, the endless infusions being changed, the crash team that brought her back every time and still kept calm, the nurses that put up with her attitude and came to see her even when they weren’t looking after her. Sarah who played her Disney songs, they made us keepsakes and letters from Lyra, they let us have our music on even though they shouldn’t, covered me in blankets when I fell asleep in the chair, the breast feeding team who’d stay up during the night with me to get those essential first drops for her, the transport and ambulance crews that got us to and from safely, the nurses that cried when we had to go to Alder Hey and were the first ones there waiting when we got back. Teaching us how to change a tiny nappy amongst so many wires and machines, keeping everything closely monitored and making sure she had whatever she needed but still allowing us to always be her mum and dad, and keeping her brothers involved too. All of these things meant that we knew Lyra mattered to them. They knew her ways and how she liked things to be done. She was not just another baby, she was the only baby that mattered every time they were looking after her.

The way she was treated with such absolute love every day, taken care of like the most precious baby in the world which of course she is to us, is something we can never thank the staff for. That kind of care cannot be taught, it comes from the heart and we will always be grateful that we knew Lyra was loved by her NICU family. We hope that in Lyra’s memory we can help them to have some more of the equipment that is essential for providing that safety net, to help the next tiny baby and their parents who will need their loving care. 

Every donation will help, no matter how big or small. Thank you so much for helping other babies in need in memory of Lyra, our shining star, our  little bumblebee princess 🐝✨❤️ With love from Kim, Paul, Matthew & Shea and all of Lyra’s family xxxxxxx