News / Crowdfunding
Breast cancer mum Heidi Loughlin’s baby dies
A police officer from Portishead who delayed her cancer treatment to give her unborn baby a better chance of survival has announced her baby has died.
Heidi Loughlin, 32, gave birth 12 weeks prematurely to Ally Louise Smith three months after being diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer.
Heidi elected to undergo a light form of treatment instead of having an abortion while she waited for her baby to be big enough to have a fighting chance of survival.
is needed now More than ever
After the medicine proved ineffective, she gave birth to her third child by C-section on December 11. She announced at the weekend that Ally had died, posting this poem on her blog:
Yesterday afternoon our hearts broke in two.
For we had to say goodby to you.
Our love for you is a beautiful haze,
Even though you lived for 8 short days
We kissed you, we cuddled you, we tickled your feet,
And I know again one day we’ll meet.
Today brought a rainbow, the lightest of hue,
And I wondered if it was sent from you?
Our beautiful daughter Ally Louise,
I whisper your name and it drifts on the breeze,
The pain in my body and heart and my soul,
Feels it will consume me and leave me un-whole.
Your brothers will honour you in all that they do,
We forever have 3 children, not just two,
I will try to heal for you, and my body unfurl
You’ll be always beside me our beautiful girl.”
Heidi, who works for the Metropolitan Police and has recently moved back to her hometown just west of Bristol, set up a Just Giving campaign called ‘Bald for Babies’ with her friend Cathy to raise money for the infant special care unit at St Michael’s Hospital, a cause that couldn’t be closer to her heart.
The campaign had already raised over £12,000 by Monday, December 21.
Back in September Heidi was advised by doctors to abort her unborn child following a diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer, but instead chose to undergo less intensive chemotherapy in the hope of delivering a healthy and happy third child.
The typical prognosis for Heidi’s particular form of breast cancer is two to five years, but the 32-year-old is determined to keep fighting for her children and put her energy into positive things.
Her Just Giving page and blog have garnered a wave of support from people around the globe, with more admiring comments on her bravery and upbeat attitude appearing every day.
On her crowdfunding page she says: “I have recently been diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer. It’s rare and aggressive but so am I! Rather than sit here and cry about life being shit, I’m just getting on with it.”
For more information on how you can donate, visit www.justgiving.com/Heidi-Loughlin.
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