Ezra Joseph Alan Dear (15 Nov 2023 - 15 Nov 2023)

It is broken hearts that Philip and I share the news that our beautiful baby boy, Ezra Joseph Alan Dear, was born sleeping on November 15th 2023.

Following a miscarriage in December 2022 we were delighted and terrified that we were pregnant again but relieved at 12 weeks to hear a heartbeat. We were nervous to plan a future as a family of four but plan we did and Samuel even helped prepare for his little brother’s arrival… life was good, of course we had concerns about how we’d manage etc. but all we’d ever wanted was to make Samuel a big brother and grow our family…

20 weeks flew by so quickly and we were excited to find out we were having another little boy but that excitement soon faded as the sonographer went to fetch a consultant.
She must have only been gone a second but it felt then that our world was about to come crashing down… it’s never a good sign when they need a second opinion is it?

Tears were streaming down our faces as we were told that Ezra’s heart didn’t appear as expected on screen and we were immediately referred to a neonatal cardiologist in London for a more detailed ultrasound… from then on in we were riding this rollercoaster of emotions with, to be honest more downs than ups.

Eventually the diagnosis of complex congenital heart disease and Neonatal Marfan Syndrome was confirmed at 27 weeks…

The rarity of Neonatal Marfan Syndrome had consultants from across several hospitals convinced we’d lose him early on in the pregnancy but at every appointment we were in his corner whist he fought the toughest fight right up until the date of the c-section.

Ezra didn’t get to take his first breath, feel the cold November air on his cheeks, or see his first Christmas but I can tell you that our little fighter had a mean right kick and you know what, he projected a wave of love and hope to us all. We’ll miss our gentle group family hugs and the smiles we shared as Samuel tickled mummy’s tummy convinced that Ezra could feel it and would be smiling with us...

It’s these brief moments we’ll treasure and the short time together making memories in Little Havens. Little Havens have been particularly brilliant in supporting Samuel but have also provided us with a warm, comforting, safe place to see Ezra and begin the grieving process.

Although the funeral for our beautiful little boy is a small gathering, we would like thank everyone for their love and support during this incredibly difficult time and ask that in Ezra’s memory and to support other families facing the unbearable loss of a little one, donations are made to Little Havens Hospice.