Tragic baby Aria inspires support for Stars Appeal

Meghann Blake and her family are taking part in a charity event to support the Stars Appeal.

The hugely popular Stars Appeal is hosting a ‘Walk for Wards Wherever You Are’ event which takes on 4th July. 29-year old Meghann and her family have committed to supporting families who experience the loss of a baby at birth.

Meghann says, “In 2018, the day after our wedding, we found out we were pregnant with our third baby. Everything seemed fine until 14 weeks when one day I got out of bed and knew something was wrong.

“An emergency scan confirmed my waters had ruptured, but as there was still a heartbeat. Then at 22 weeks pregnant my cord prolapsed. We rushed to hospital, where it was confirmed that she had passed away.

“That same day we were taken to the Benson Suite in the maternity ward, an incredible place all funded by the Stars Appeal. The kindest midwives cared for me and my husband for the next three days.

“Without the Benson Suite, I would have had to deliver our baby on the normal labour ward. I would never have got through the birth and loss of our daughter Aria.

"They let her sleep next to my husband and I in a cold cot and we could say goodbye without feeling rushed. They took photos and made a beautiful memory box for us and helped us organise her funeral.

“We were terrified when we got pregnant again, so I was monitored all through my pregnancy. Grace, our fourth child, was born two months early in 2020. Because she was early she spent four weeks on the Neonatal Unit, where we stayed in the Stars Appeal’s parents’ accommodation. Now she’s a healthy and happy toddler.”

“All my family (mum Meghann, dad Ashton and brothers Casey-Joe and Cameron and sister Grace) are walking to raise as much as we possibly can so that other families who need the Benson Suite or NICU will have what they need to get them through the most difficult of times.”

The Stars Appeal is the NHS charity for Salisbury District Hospital. They aim to raise over £1million each year to fund projects which offer direct, practical support to patients, their families and the Hospital’s staff.

The Stars Appeal‘s Walk for Wards Wherever You Are takes place on Sunday 4th July.

Participants walk 3k, 5k or 10k at a location of their choosing and get sponsored to help raise funds for Stars Appeal projects that support patients across Salisbury District Hospital and the NHS Staff who care for them.

All participants will receive a special certificate marking how much they have raised and there are special prizes for those raising over £100. You can sign up to take part at www.starsappeal.org  

Participants are asked to follow any Government guidelines that may be in place at the time of their walk. The Walk for Wards normally takes place at Wilton House, home of Stars Appeal President the Earl of Pembroke, and plans are in place for the event to return there on Sunday 3rd July 2022.