“Before I became a dad, I worried about all the little things. I thought ‘I can’t do crying babies’ and then you realise what it’s like to have a baby that doesn’t cry.”
Like so many expectant parents, Joey and Caroline imagined the future with hope and excitement. They pictured bringing their baby home, celebrating his first Christmas and watching him grow — maybe one day with a little brother or sister by his side. Their dream was simple: a happy, ordinary life filled with love and laughter.
But that dream was shattered the day they were told something was wrong with their baby.
“It was during a growth scan and they said there was a problem – we felt like the world had just fallen away”.
Matthew was born by emergency c-section with a serious heart condition. Joey remembers holding his son’s tiny hand in an incubator in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, thinking it might be the only thing he’d ever get to do as a father. Matthew was brave, tough and determined. He fought hard but his little heart just wasn’t strong enough.
When the doctors said it was time to think about parallel planning. They meant Tŷ Hafan.
Thanks to supporters like you, Joey and Caroline had the chance to be a family, to make memories with their beautiful baby boy. But for every family like Matthews there are nine other families in Wales who have nowhere to turn.
Will you give a donation of £60 to help other families like Matthew’s this Christmas?
“Tŷ Hafan gave us something we never thought we’d have — time to just be a family. We took Matthew down to the beach and felt the sea breeze on our faces. We walked with him through the gardens, soaking in the quiet moments.
We watched the rugby together, he even got to see Wales win, which felt like a small miracle in itself! He met his family, aunties, grandparents, almost everyone had a chance to visit. He had a bath — and he loved it! Splashing, smiling, truly happy. That’s one of my favourite memories.”
“These were the little things we thought we’d never get to do. But Tŷ Hafan made them possible.”
Tŷ Hafan also made it possible for Matthew to come home. “We felt sad leaving Tŷ Hafan because we knew our precious time with Matthew was coming to an end. But at the same time, we were so happy to bring him home.”
For Joey and Caroline, it was such a different homecoming than the one they had imagined. Their hearts ached for all the birthday parties that would never come, the big family Christmases they’d dreamed of. They had to fill the short time they had with as much love as they could; and they did. Matthew was home. He got to be held. He got to be loved.
Please, will you help this Christmas? Your gift can help bring children like Matthew home to feel the warmth of family, the sparkle of the season and the peace of being where they belong.
“After Matthew died, the bereavement counselling I received from Tŷ Hafan was a lifeline. It gave me space to talk, to cry, and to start healing. I’ll always be grateful for that support — it helped me find a way forward when everything felt lost.”
This Christmas, a donation of £60 could help provide that same lifeline to another grieving parent — offering comfort and understanding in the darkest of times.
Thank you, from all of us at Tŷ Hafan, for the love and generosity you’ve shown. Wishing you and your loved ones a peaceful, joyful Christmas filled with the kind of precious memories you help make possible for others.