Every little life matters and deserves to be celebrated
Chey and I lost our daughter and Rhodes lost his little sister, Summer Rain Flavell, close to two months ago.
Summer was born sleeping at 33+5 weeks on the 13th of January 2024. Summer had very long dark hair, tiny ears, a perfect button nose, and the longest legs, fingers and toes.. she was 1.7kg of genuine perfection. The only difference was we never got to see her beautiful eyes open, we never got to hear her cry- we never got to bring our girl home or live the life we envisioned with her. Instead all we have are images in our head of the life we were supposed to live. What would her bond with her brother be like? Would she look like him? What would her laugh sound like? Would she be calm and level headed or a little firecracker? What dreams would she have had for the future? How would it sound for her to call me mum? What would it be like to have a daughter and be a girl mum? For her to hold my finger, to feel her arms around me and for her to tell me that she’s okay and to not worry. The questions are endless but slowly with time we are learning acceptance, no matter how hard it is to comprehend most days.
The absence of our little girl is something that will never be filled. Just like her nursery where she should be, we feel and always will carry an emptiness and this will continue for the rest of our days.
Summer is spoken about every single day, her name is said without hesitation and she is bought up in conversation as if she were here. Rhodes knows he has a sister, he clutches at my necklace, points to the sky or a butterfly and says Summer, he hi 5’s her hand print frame and cuddles her teddy bear.. he does and will always know of his little sister.
Those that know us, or know someone that has lost a child- knows the importance of acknowledgment. We choose every day to live the life our daughter should have lived and to continue acknowledging her existence. Although her life was brief, she was here and she will always be our girl- Summer Rain and we will always say her name.
I created this page for Say Their Name Day to raise funds for Red Nose so they can continue their important work supporting bereaved families across Australia.
If you can support my fundraiser, you will be helping to bring care and comfort to families when they need it most.
Every dollar raised helps support bereaved families by making sure every family has access to the information and networks they need to move forward and rebuild their lives, now and in the future.
That means timely access to information resources, an understanding voice on the end of the phone, and an ongoing connection with other families through support groups and remembrance activities.
So please, help me raise much-needed funds to ensure every bereaved family has access to the support they need, for as long as they need it.
Thank you.
