Rugby woman helping others after she suffered the heartbreak of having a stillborn son

Her first son Luca, who she refers to as her ‘angel baby’, was stillborn at almost full term.

In a life plagued by trauma, including domestic violence in a previous arranged marriage and severe illness which has left her unable to walk unaided, grieving for Luca is described by Sharon as her ‘darkest and most devastating time.’

But none of it has got in the way of her determination to keep his memory alive.

As well as changing her surname to Luca-Chatha, Sharon, from near Rugby, has gone on to establish a charity in his name which has already raised thousands of pounds.

And the busy entrepreneur is also about to launch two books and a new eco-friendly clothing line, all inspired by her journey with stillbirth and mental illness.

The Luca Foundation, which counts among its ambassadors Poldark actor Christian Brassington, raises funds for the purchase and repair of refrigerated cuddle cots which allow grieving parents precious extra time with their ‘angel babies’ – time the couple desperately wish they themselves had.

Sharon, 44, said: “A parent’s worst nightmare is to lose their child.

“We were beyond devastated, our world had fallen apart. From the moment he died on the Monday inside my womb, to the Thursday when I gave birth to him, everything was in a daze.

“We were not ready for the next blow – the limited time we had with him, knowing we would then never see him again.

“After holding on to Luca as long as we could – just a few hours - we had to hand him over to be taken to the mortuary. This caused us such trauma. We just cried uncontrollably.

“As I look back I realise that was the defining moment when I decided I wanted every parent to have access to a cuddle cot.

“The cot acts like a refrigerator so it keeps the body cold which allows the parents then to have up to a week with their baby and, if they wish to, even take them home with that equipment.”

Sharon added: “ ‘Growth restriction’ was eventually given as cause of death.

"When we got the post mortem results, I was hoping it was going to say they’d found some sort of defect that would have shortened his life and that he would have suffered - something to give me some sense of closure.

“We had exactly the same danger alert for our second son Ky who came up small on the growth chart at 24 weeks exactly as Luca had and that did scare us.

"But from then on I was monitored weekly and, on my persistence, he was induced early. I couldn’t bear the thought of him going past 36 weeks in the pregnancy because that’s when we lost Luca.

"He was delivered exactly a week before Luca’s birthday and the cord was wrapped around his neck twice, so if he had gone any longer he would have suffocated in my womb and we’d have lost a second child.

“I just know if they had done the same for Luca he would be here with us now.”

Sharon fell pregnant with Ky, now seven, just a few months after their loss but she has made sure his big brother is still a feature of their lives.

“We toyed with the idea for ages. I just felt so empty,” said Sharon.

"My arms felt so empty, I felt like I had no purpose in life anymore. I was a mother but nobody saw me as a mother. I wanted a child here that I could nurse.

"We wanted to be parents to a living child as well.

“My dream was always to have two children which I do have, but one is not with me.

"It left me heartbroken really that Ky doesn’t have a sibling here.

"When I do see children with their siblings it tugs at my heart that we weren’t able to do that for him.”

While fundraising for the Foundation was halted by the pandemic, Sharon has been far from idle in lockdown, putting the finishing touches to both of her new books.

Angel Warriors, released on Amazon in October, is a touching and personal account of the past eight years, with plans to release an audio version of the book, spoken in her own words, by the end of the year.

Why Did Grandad Die? is an illustrated children’s book geared at helping three to nine-year-olds understand bereavement – and is inspired by Ky will eventually find its way into all schools.

One hundred per cent of the proceeds will go to the Foundation.

To learn more about the work of the Luca Foundation, visit: www.thelucafoundation.org.ukWhy Did Grandad Die? will be available from Amazon at the end of August and Angel Warriors in October, both £9.99.

To learn more about the launch of LK Eco Style – an ethical clothing brand, visit: www.lkecostyle.com