'We just have to keep trying': Couple whose baby died due to hospital errors raising money for IVF in race against time
A couple whose baby tragically died due to hospital errors are raising money for IVF in a race against time to to start their own family.
Katie Anson and Matthew Hall, from St George’s in Telford, suffered the heartbreaking loss of their only son Kye at just four days old in 2015.
An inquest found that had different actions been taken by staff at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Hospital Trust, Kye’s death could have been prevented.
For Matt, 32, and Katie, 38, who had been trying for two years for a baby, Kye’s death was shattering – a loss that they will never truly get over.
In the years since the tragedy the couple have faced further anguish as they have been unable to conceive.
They have undergone IVF but faced heartbreak and frustration as after an anxious and hopeful wait, their dreams were dashed.
With the costs of another round of IVF stretching to more than £10,000, one of Katie’s friends decided to step in and set up a fundraiser to try and give the couple another shot at starting their own family.
Katie said: “It was my best friend who set it up. When Zac Oliver was poorly she did quite a lot of fundraising for him and she just suggested seeing if the public wanted to help us.”
Katie said it was only after their IVF on the NHS had failed that they had realised the true costs of paying for the treatment.
She said: “Obviously we had our NHS go but at the time we were just trying to be positive, thinking ‘this will work’, and that we wouldn’t need to go private so we didn’t even look at the costs then. It was only after we saw how expensive it is.”
The prospect of not being able to have another go is all the more jarring because of Kye’s tragic death, with ‘what ifs’ and thoughts of how it could have been different.
Katie said the loss of their son had been utterly heartbreaking and had hit her and Matthew in different ways.
She said: “It was pretty horrific. Obviously we have got quite a good family support network and at the time we were devastated. Matty pretty much broke down and he struggled to handle it. His way of dealing with it was having family around, but I wanted to push everyone away so it was a really difficult time.
“But we have grown stronger and I think seeing Matt the way he was with Kye just made me fall in love with him even more.”
Katie said now they just want to have their own family.
She said: “It is just something we want more than anything else in the world.
“It took me two years to catch pregnant with Kye. We were literally thinking about going and getting some help but it was just at Christmas when we found out. I did a test before Christmas in case I was drinking and we found out I was pregnant which was lovely. I had a normal pregnancy, it was perfect. I have never felt more happy in my life.
“To lose him in such a way was just horrific and we have been basically trying ever since then. The time is ticking for us which is why we need to do this.
“We are keeping on and trying to stay positive and hope for the best. We just have to keep trying.”
Anyone who wants to support Katie and Matthew can do so at https://uk.gofundme.com/f/katie-and-matty039s-ivf-fundraiser
