TAKING THINGS ONE DAY AT A TIME

When Detola Amure, 41, suddenly lost her seven-month-old baby, she thought that she’d never feel joy again

- KARA O'NEILL

When my son Morakinyo Caleb, MoraC for short, and his twin sister Moradeyo Grace, or MoraD, were born in May 2018, I truly felt blessed. Their older sister Moyo was then eight, and my son Mojola, five. MoraC was diagnosed with Down’s syndrome a day after his birth and, while he did experience some minor health problems in the months that followed, otherwise he was healthy and happy. A peaceful baby, MoraC loved cuddles and was always full of smiles.

Then, in December 2018, when he was seven months old, I noticed MoraC seemed short of breath. My husband Tunjin and I, took him straight to A&E. But he seemed to make a slight recovery and we were told that we could take him home and just keep a close eye on him.

A week later, after getting home from church, I put MoraC down for a nap. When I went to check on him an hour later, he seemed strangely still, and when I tried to wake him, he still didn’t move. Panicked, I screamed for Tunjin, and as he called an ambulance, I tried in vain to resuscitate my baby. But there was nothing that could be done. MoraC was pronounced dead at hospital a few hours later. And in that moment, my world changed forever.

CHRISTMAS DAY 2018

Looking back, Christmas Day is a blur to me. We certainly didn’t celebrate with a big turkey dinner or spend hours opening presents. MoraC’s gifts remained in the back of my wardrobe, untouched. It was all I could do just to get out of bed.