Copyright belfastlive
This time last year, the Haughey family from Co Tyrone , were excitedly awaiting the arrival of a new baby. But tragically, the past year has been a heartbreaking one that they could never have imagined. On December 27 2024, after a perfect pregnancy Natasha Haughey welcomed her beautiful little girl Ava Nicola into the world, much to the delight of her husband Gareth, 37, and big brother, James, aged three. Unbeknownst to her, proud mum Natasha, 33 and from Ballygawley , had picked up a virus during the last week of her pregnancy. Recalling the family's tragic loss, Natasha told Belfast Live : "It was a perfect delivery and I can honestly say it was the happiest I have been in my whole life. I had got my little girl and a sister for James. Ava was born perfectly normal and thrived. "But to our complete shock, horror and utter devastation we watched as our healthy and beautiful baby, born at 8lb 5oz, turned into a very sick little girl. I was completely unaware that I had picked up a virus and it passed to Ava who died because of that. "The consultants were so shocked because this was so incredibly rare but obviously it happens and Ava was just very unlucky. Tragically she left this world just six days later on January, 2 2025. We were in complete dismay - it was a living nightmare and left our hearts broken beyond repair. "We had the whole house set up for a new baby but sadly we came home without our baby. When I think back to the days now they were desperate times. "As we navigated this nightmare and lived in survival mode, we counted our blessings with James. He has been our lifeline this past year and kept us going. We also developed a new gratitude for our health and have been clinging to hope of brighter days ahead." Ahead of Ava's first anniversary, Natasha says she wanted to honour her daughter's memory by raising funds in aid of the Neo-natal unit in Craigavon Area Hospital , where Ava was born, and The Little Forget Me Nots Trust, a bereavement charity that has supported Natasha over recent months. Natasha explained: "This year has been the year we never envisaged, not in our wildest nightmares. I have felt so strongly about giving back, to try and help other families who will find themselves in our position. "I had never set foot in a Neo-natal unit prior to Ava being born. She was taken to the unit as a precautionary measure as she needed antibiotics and antiviral medication, much to everyone’s shock. But it opened my eyes very wide to the daily torment parents suffer in the unit watching their children fight for their lives. "If our love, prayers and will could have saved Ava she would never have died. We will forever be indebted to the nurses and doctors who cared for Ava. They treated her like their own and cried when we lost her. They welcomed our family and friends in to meet Ava and for that we are forever grateful. "On November 29 we are going to raise funds in Ava’s memory and in aid of the Neonatal unit in Craigavon and The Little Forget Me Nots. We will be running a static cycle over a nine hour period in the Garvaghey GAA Centre. We would love and appreciate everyone’s support, whether that is giving up some time on that day to cycle and or to donate." Natasha added: "The reality that we have been faced with is that you never know when you will need services like the Neo-Natal or the support of a bereavement charity, and if you are able to support in any way we would be forever grateful. "As I said you never know when you will need these vital services, unfortunately this year we were hit so hard, unknowingly and brought to our knees. This time last year I was completely unaware that these services were to become our life lines. I feel totally compelled to raise awareness of the daily work they do." Natasha set up a GoFundMe page at the weekend, which has already raised over £10,000. You can donate to Natasha's fundraiser here . For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our Be lifestyle newsletter for all the latest showbiz, fashion, beauty, family features and more.
