Category: General

The response to our online fundraising has been incredible with us reaching the top 3% of all fundraising on the Just Giving site for May. We are truly amazed by the amount of money we have raised. Our target was £5000 for the entire year and we nearly achieved that figure in a fortnight. The gifts you have given in Ivy’s memory will become gifts to the children in the hospitals in Oxford. We promise that the things we will provide using Ivy’s money will be much needed and we will keep you posted via our social media channels. You will see where your money has gone – the gifts you have given!

Yet Ivy’s Gifts is much more than that. If we, as Ivy’s parents think about what she gave us and try to put this into words – we hope that this will inspire you to use some of these gifts in order to help us in our mission to keep giving to the girl that gave so much.

Love

A parent’s love is something that is unimaginable until you’ve experienced it. Its the most selfless, unconditional and fierce love we’ve ever known. You only want to keep your little baby safe and protect them from all harm and it gives you a fighting spirit to ensure you are putting their needs first. It also brings to mind the way that others around you have loved and love you. When that love is taken away from you it gives you a new perspective. Keeping the ones close to you really is the only important thing. To give them time, to talk with them, to care for them in the good times and the bad.

So perhaps this will be something you’d like to do for Ivy’s Gifts. Arrange a social gathering with your family and friends and make more memories with people that matter the most to you!

Health

Ivy made us look after ourselves and take care of ourselves. Having gestational diabetes meant our diet was very strictly controlled and to be honest we have never eaten so healthily. We also went on a walk every night. A little exercise and a healthy diet was tough don’t get me wrong but we adapted and actually felt better for taking good care of ourselves. Living in a hospital made us realise you can’t take your health for granted.

Anything can happen to anyone at anytime. So we hope that if you are wanting to start a little bit of exercise or be a little bit healthier then Ivy will be able to give you the encouragement to look after yourself. It doesn’t need to be as extreme as giving up chocolate for a year but maybe one month you might like to go booze free or take a walk in your lunch break. Maybe that will be Ivy’s gift to you?

Bravery

We sometimes wish that everyone could have seen how incredibly brave our little girl was when she was in hospital. However we wouldn’t want to distress anyone with how truly awful it is to see somebody so vulnerable and somebody so little wired up to all the different equipment. She would look at her books as we read to her, watch the mobile and listen to the music as it spun. She would watch everyone around her so intently as if she was sussing us all out or planning something. We like to think she was making sure we were ok.

Could you be as brave as her? Maybe a sky dive or a bungee jump would be your chance to show bravery like she did?

Strength

Ivy showed incredible strength but for this gift we would like to discuss us. As her parents we learnt that we were stronger than we ever could have imagined. This was all because of Ivy and because our love for her gave us such strength. We wanted to be with her, we wanted to protect and comfort her. We are certain our brains blurred the scary stuff and the adrenaline allowed our bodies to sharpen the mind to get through the worst times.

Now with Ivy’s Gifts we are pushing forward with raising money with a strength that we would never have possessed if it wasn’t for Ivy. We promised her that so much good would come from her life and it is those words that push us forward every day and give us the strength to cope with the daily challenges of grief.

Maybe you could show strength in a different way. Perhaps you would find the strength to train for a half marathon or the strength to climb a mountain?

Pride

This one is hard to put into words about how proud we were of our beautiful baby. We loved to see her small stages of development; her nature, her personality, her smile, even her cry. We were proud of the little person we had created.

What challenge would make you proud? How amazed would you feel if months of planning resulted in an amazing quiz night or if you pushed yourself to abseil off a building? You’d feel like you were a pretty awesome person -what a rush that would be.

Selflessness

Now for this gift lets think about the NHS staff who were such a massive part of our journey. Can you imagine being a nurse having to work 12 and half hours with a 30 minute break? Or a doctor who are on call over the weekends for 72 hours who can be called at any time to save a life?

Can you imagine being so dedicated that you stay late from a long shift to comfort parents who are about to say goodbye to their child? This is what they do – day in and day out. Now don’t get us wrong we are sure there are so many rewards in this job. What a privilege to know how to help a sick child and see them get better. Yet despite advance in technology and new medicines, sometimes there is still nothing that can be done. So they feel the pain along with you. We know from personal experience that these people really do care. There are no bonuses or fancy perks, let’s face it they even have to pay for the privilege to park where they work, but kindness and empathy mean so much to people in their darkest of times.

So could you be selfless? Could you forsake your birthday and the thrills and presents that come with it and donate to charity instead?

Fun

Is there anything better than seeing a baby smile? The simplest things can cause this reaction in them? Quite often just seeing the person that they love the most causes the biggest smile. Whatever makes them smile you know it is pure – no need to act cool or worry what others think. They smile because it is instinctive! And that smile melts your heart.

Let us set you a challenge? What makes you smile? Fun can so easily be overlooked in our busy lives. We don’t have time to be silly or the courage to be true to ourselves. We would love it if you could do something you truly enjoyed and even better if you can do that very thing while raising money. Ivy loved to smile – please smile the way Ivy did!

Our mission

Ivy taught us so much without ever saying a word. She taught us about love, the importance of good health and bravery in whatever we have to face. She taught us what true pride feels like and how we can find the strength to make the right choices to become better versions of ourselves and most recently she has shown us how, when times get tough, good will show itself from all corners. Selfless people will give up their hard earned income to support the community and to do good for others.

The gift of donation to a worthy cause and seeing just what a difference we are able to make when we all pull together is a huge rush but we would like to take this one step further. We would like to invite you all to think about something that you have been meaning to do for a while and never got round to.

Whether you have been meaning to get a little fitter or to lose a little weight, you feel that you need to be bolder and take more risks or if you simply need to slow down and enjoy the time that you have because you have realised that we only get one chance at this life. One chance to play with our children whilst they are young, to make memories for ourselves, to do good and be an example to others. Then we are here reaching out to you now to set you a challenge. A challenge of action. Please take action; do that run, lose that weight, donate your birthday, climb that mountain and listen to baby Ivy’s message. That way we are keeping our promise that so much good will come from her life.

Be kind to yourself, help others and have fun whilst you do it. You have the control to change and Ivy has helped us to see just how much good we can do and how much better we can be.

The dictionary defines a gift as a thing given willingly or an unmissable opportunity. We have so much to give and so much to gain from taking that first step.