Making memories with Michael

When Jo Garrad, 33, was told the devastating news about her little boy, she made an important promise...

- Ruth Addicott & Louise Baty

As a midwife placed the wriggling bundle on my chest, I gazed at my newborn son’s face. ‘Hello Michael,’ I whispered, taking in his blond hair. ‘I’m your mummy.’

It was 19 August 2010. Cradling my baby, I felt a love so powerful, I knew I’d always do anything to protect him. And then, with despair, I watched as the doctor stepped forward and lifted him from my arms.

‘Please look after him,’ I sobbed as my baby was taken away.

I’d known I wouldn’t be able to keep Michael with me once he was born but it didn’t make it any less devastating.

He’d only just come into the world and now he was being taken for open heart surgery. It was terrifying.

My partner Mike and I had first been told our baby had a problem at my 12-week scan, in March 2010. ‘There’s a 9mm lump of fluid on your baby’s neck,’ the sonographer had said, explaining it could be an indication of health issues.

After that, my pregnancy wasovershadowed by fear. During the 30-week scan, we got confirmation that something was wrong with our baby’s heart.

Further tests at Royal Brompton Hospital,London, revealed that Michael had several life-limiting conditions. These included complex congenital heart disease, hypoplastic right heart syndrome, pulmonary atresia, tricuspid atresia, and ventricular septal defect, which meant he had a hole in his heart and the valve was also blocked.

‘There’s no history of heart problems in our families,’ I gasped, reeling. As congenital heart problems affect seven in every 1,000 babies, it seemed our little one was just unlucky.