Name: Erin O Hara
Organisation:
Award Category: Inspirational Mother
Sponsored By:
Voting Is Now Closed
My Plea:
Twenty weeks pregnant and sat on a bus on my way to have my anomaly scan, I had no idea that the events which would unfold in the next sixty minutes would change my life forever. My baby kicked playfully in my womb yet I could not kick the feeling that deep down, something felt a little off. I brushed it down to nerves and tried to settle myself.
The time in which we spent in the waiting area at the hospital was like any other. I was sat there with my fiancé Jamie, son Josh and my big, beautiful bump, and each of us was as excited as one another to see the new baby. “Erin O’Hara!” shouted a lovely, little midwife, who then showed us to the room which sealed our untimely fate.
We met the sonographer, a gentle woman with bright eyes and a warm smile which soon faded as she broke the devastating news. “There’s a problem. Your baby has anencephaly.” She continued to explain that our baby had no skull and was incompatible with life. “Are there any survival rates at all?” I quivered. To which she answered, shaking her head, “I am so sorry.”
Our world came crashing down in seconds. Jamie gripped my hand as tight as he could and together we choked back a thousand tears, whilst Josh, who was none the wiser, sat at the other side of the room playing happily on his Nintendo. We asked the gender. A baby girl she told us. It hurt a little harder.
Whilst the rest of that day was a bit of a blur, the days and weeks after were not. I made it my mission to savour every last moment I had with my first and only daughter. Together, Jamie and I named her Freya, and we did everything that we could to make sure she would be remembered.
We decided to make it public and I wrote her an honest open letter and shared it online. Men and women, mothers and fathers, from all around the world were reaching out to me to tell me of their similar heartbreaking experiences. Because of this, I continued to document Freya’s journey.
This is when I realised that spreading awareness of anencephaly was important to me, and I would continue to do it for as long as I live.
We tried to come up different ways to honour our special little girl and make memories with her that would last a lifetime. My favourite was the baby shower that we held for her. Instead of the usual theme of all woman and lots of gifting, we raised money for the charity Every Life Counts, a perinatal hospice charity in Dublin, whom without; I don’t think I could have coped at all.
On the night of our baby shower we had a party upstairs at a local family bar and restaurant for family and friends. There was food, drinks, cake and a raffle which lots of local businesses who followed Freya’s journey ever so generously contributed to. Together, my partner and I raised vital funds which went toward helping other parents who also had limited time with their precious little angels.
To keep up Freya’s legacy, I have since signed myself up to volunteer for charities TinyLife & The Children’s Hospice NI because I think that every child deserves the best in life, no matter how short it may be.
What amazes me about Freya’s Journey is the amount of parents and families of parents who have reached out to me to tell me that she has helped them through similar heartbreak, by having raised awareness and helping them come to terms with their own babies diagnosis’. A few have even gone on to have their own showers or special days to remember their precious babies. I still can’t believe it sometimes, my baby girl is helping others.
That’s when I decided to start my project, an online group called ‘Angel Notes Around The World’, a Facebook group for parents to come together, to exchange photos of loving notes at different destinations, in memory of their dearly beloved angels. It started out as a way to make keepsakes for Freya and to preserve her memory, but I realised that nothing compares to the rewarding feeling of lifting the spirits of other bereaved parents.
And last but not least, after our experience last year in the hospital which Freya entered our world, I was so inspired by the care that we received there, that I have enrolled myself in a college course that will take me to university to study midwifery in hopes that in some day in the not so distant future, I will be a fully qualified bereavement midwife. And I have the best motivation there is, my beautiful angel watching over me and cheering me on from heaven.
What Others Have Said
Her story really touched me .She has inspired me with her bravery and courage . I was struggling with a situation and I could relate to her story . I drew strength from this . That as soon as I seen the call for nominees I instantly thought of Erin. I contacted her on social media for her details .
I have never met her but I have followed her story through pregnancy to her delivery and then the passing of her daughter .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92mESCL9Ivc&feature=youtu.be
The best mother in the world
Good luck Erin! ?
Good luck x
This woman deserves a medal she is the strongest woman I know after everything she and her partner have been through good luck Erin xx❤
THERE IS NO WORD THAT CAN EXPLAIN HOW STRONG THIS WOMAN AND HER PARTNER IS.. SHE DESERVES THE BEST MOTHER AWARDS.. XX
I hope you win for Freya. I have no doubts how proud she is and thanks for making this world better and spread awareness about our little babies x
Erin good luck ❤️
Vote for my amazing sister Erin ???
Your inspirational and an amazing beautiful person your princess Freya is so proud of you ❤️❤️Good luck
Good luck Erin x
Good luck Erin
Hope you win ?
Good luck Erin . A truly inspirational Mum ?
Proud of you always x
Amazing young woman and fabulous mother! good luck Erin
The most loving an inspiration to other mother’s and father’s going through wat her and Jamie and Josh went through Freya there angel ❤️
Best wishes
Good luck Erin !
The most inspirational people I have ever spoken to, the most amazing people I have ever spoken to, the people who deserve the world and more❤️ Best of luck to uns all! X
You and Jamie deserve the best for use are the parents I no ❤️
My little cousin who is bringing so much awareness for grieving parents such a wonderful person
Good luck ❤️
Wishing you all the best. Fab mam.
Best wee mammy x
You are so amazing ❤ Such a great wee mummy x
Such a strong lady
Dear love her . Wee freyas story broke me ?
Heartbreaking story.
2 weeks later I was faced with the exact same fate with our son. I saw Erin’s name pop up & saw she didn’t live too far way from me. I sent her a message about her fundraiser baby shower & she put me on a path to healing with the charity. Freya is a proud little angel xx
Good luck your story has touched my heart
Such an amazing and inspirational young lady good luck Erin ?
Truly a strong, kind hearted, inspirational women,
best of luck xox
Beautiful person inside and out
I’m in awe of you! Your strength is amazing.
An inspiration, this girl truly deserves this the strength and courage she has shown through was has and will always be the most heartbreaking time of her like is indescribable ??
Best of Luck to you. I don’t know you but followed Freya’s Journey an you have inspired me so much x
You are an absolute star Erin…xx
Good luck ❤
A inspiration to all mammys
Good luck Erin!