'We were able to spend every second with her' - Nuneaton couple on last 'precious' days with tiny baby girl

Christmas is known as a time for giving and a Nuneaton couple have shared the most precious gift they have had - precious final days with their baby girl. Little Thea Ritchie was just 23 days old when she passed away.

While the grief of losing their little girl is something Johnny and Karen Ritchie will never forget, the precious time they had with their little girl are moments they treasure. After finding out Thea had a rare metabolic disorder, Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia (NKH) which was causing her to have catastrophic seizures, the couple took the agonising decision to remove her ventilator in hospital - she was just one week old.

But their 'little miracle' was not yet ready to go. . "She wasn’t ready to leave," Johnny said. "We were expecting no more than a couple of hours with her, but Thea was still with us the next morning."

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Facing not knowing how long they would have with their little girl, the couple turned to Acorns Hospice for help. This was a decision that changed the course of what was the darkest time of their lives.

Living at the hospice with Thea, the couple and their young son Rupert were able to spend 15 days with their little girl before she passed away. Through the care and attentiveness of the staff, the couple say being afforded final days with their little girl was 'something special'

“The moment we came to Acorns, a blanket was wrapped around us; first as a family of three, and then when Rupert joined us that blanket just got bigger and stronger. We were able to spend every minute, every second with Thea and that’s what we wanted.”

“It was really horrific, but we were also so prepared and relaxed, because we were at Acorns and had been so well supported throughout Thea’s journey. What we achieved in those 15 days at Acorns was something special. Thea just wasn’t ready to go when in hospital, instead she’d decided ‘I’m going to give you so much more’.

“Acorns was everything we needed without knowing we needed it. They spent the time with us creating memories; things we wouldn't have thought of doing – handprints, footprints, fingerprints."

Watch the couple share their 'Thea's Gift' story

Should anyone face the devastating scenario they did, the Ritchies say they would want them to have the same unbridled care and support from Acorns- which is why they are sharing their story as part of the charity's Christmas campaign.

Entitled 'Thea's Gift', the campaign has seen the couple record a video which documents their time with their little girl - from the excitement of the pregnancy to their final days with her at one of the charity's hospice

They share the final moments they had with their little girl. When it was time to say goodbye, the couple chose one of their favourite spaces - the memorial garden within the hospice.

Thea passed away at just 23 days old. "We knew it was close," Johnny recalled.

"We said we wanted to be outside, because the garden meant so much to us. So, we sat in the sunshine and just held her in our arms, which was really peaceful, and Thea passed."

“We held her as long as we wanted to, just cherishing her and her beauty. We could hear Rupert’s laughter; he was happy in another part of the garden being looked after by Acorns staff and family."

Their experience has led to them becoming Acorns' biggest champions and they are passionate about raising funds for the charity. Acorns needs around £35,000 each day to provide its children’s hospice care, with two thirds of that amount coming from generous donations and fundraising by the local community.

Anyone who would like to support the Thea's Gift appeal should visit the website here.