Getting older is the best thing that can happen to a person.
Bringing another little human into the world can only be described as a miracle.
But when the baby is born after nine months of waiting, anything can happen.
When Andrew Foster and his partner Catherine Alport welcomed their son Rycroft, the happiness was overwhelming.
They had waited so long for their little boy.
But at just 16 months old, the couple lost their angel.
After an unusual illness was diagnosed, the doctors couldn’t do anything more, writes the British Mirror.
Every day, thousands of children are born all over the world.
New little lives that enter the earth with their own personalities and traits.
Together with their loved ones, they should be able to grow up to later take the paths they choose themselves.
But not everyone even makes it to two years old.
It was in February 2022 when Andrew Foster and his partner Catherine Alport welcomed their second child.
They already had daughter Lyra when their son Rycroft was born a little earlier than expected.
On his Facebook, father Andrew then excitedly wrote about the birth and how they were all thrilled that the boy had finally arrived.
Not least, Lyra was bursting with pride to meet her little brother, whom she loved from the very first moment.
But just a few months after the birth, the happiness turned into a nightmare.
The little boy suffered from a rare disease
Shortly after birth, their son was diagnosed with the rare disease Shwachman syndrome.
According to the National Board of Health and Welfare, the syndrome is a “hereditary disease that can lead to impaired pancreatic function (pancreatic insufficiency), lack of a certain type of white blood cells (neutropenia), bone marrow changes, skeletal abnormalities, and liver failure.” Pancreatic insufficiency leads to diarrhea, neutropenia leads to an increased number of bacterial infections, and changes in bone marrow mean an increased risk of leukemia,” they write on their website.
There are no exact figures on the number of people born with this syndrome, but according to the National Board of Health and Welfare, one child in 300,000 is born with Shwachman syndrome.
Rycroft, who was only a few months old when the doctors made the diagnosis, urgently needed a bone marrow transplant.
Died shortly after the life-saving operation
The operation initially seemed to be successful, and the family thought they could breathe a sigh of relief.
The little boy, who had spent most of his life in the hospital due to his illness, seemed to be recovering well.
But it soon became clear that he had suffered devastating consequences from the procedure.
He developed an infection and at just 16 months old, Rycroft fell asleep forever.
Andrew and Catherine lost their son, and Lyra lost her little brother.
‘I wish he didn’t have to leave us, but he did. Being his father was incredible,” father Andrew says to the British Mirror.
The grief is great for the small family.
Keeping the memory alive
They are trying to move forward together without their little boy, but it is difficult.
What they want to do now is honor the memory of their son in a special way.
Andrew and Catherine have started a fundraising campaign where the money goes to children born with the same disease as Rycroft.
Helping other children and parents in similar situations brings a lot of comfort in the darkness.
“We are devastated by the loss and want to raise money to help other families going through what we have experienced. To raise awareness of the incredible work the medical staff did to care for him. We have chosen three charities that do just that: fantastic work to help children like Rycroft survive,” says Andrew.
“All donated money will be evenly distributed and go towards supporting these charities. They have played such a huge role in giving Rycroft and us 16 wonderful months together. They also give us hope that other families in a similar situation will see their children grow up and live happily.”
So incredibly tragic, a life extinguished far too soon. Rest in peace little Rycroft!
