A mum was left touched after friends made her a surprise video on what would have been her daughter’s third birthday.
Iris Constant, 34 and from Southborough in Kent, said she was ‘dreading’ having to get through her daughter’s birthday during the coronavirus lockdown when there were little distractions.
Everly died in 2017 in Iris’ 38th week of pregnancy – just two weeks away from full term – and was sadly stillborn.
But yesterday, on what would have been Everly’s third birthday, friends recorded a surprise video passing around and releasing a balloon in memory of her little girl.
A friend says in the video: ‘Today’s the day we wish upon a star to carry our love to wherever you are. Happy birthday Everly, we love you lots. See you soon Iris.’
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They then gave Iris a balloon outside her house which says ‘happy heavenly birthday Everly’ on it.
They said they wanted to record the video as they couldn’t be with her in person.
Iris, who is also a mum to Jackson, 9, Ashton, 6, and Macauley, 1, said: ‘I was absolutely dreading trying to get through the birthday of my daughter who was born sleeping three years ago.
‘With it being lockdown I knew we wouldn’t have the comfort and support of my friends and family in person, or be able to go somewhere for the day to distract ourselves from the heartache.
‘So when my friends surprised us with this video it was hard to feel sadness when we felt so loved.
‘Our support network has gone above and beyond to help us through this difficult time during lockdown.’
She said she had a ‘beautiful, gentle day’ yesterday with her husband Brent, 36, and her children.
Sands UK charity
Sands UK is a stillbirth and neonatal death charity, which works to reduce the number of babies dying and to ensure that those affected by the loss of a baby receives the best possible care for as long as they need it.
The charity aims to better understand the causes of baby deaths and works with governments and other organisations to raise awareness of issues surrounding baby loss.
Sands provides bereavement support at a local and national level.
Please visit the Sands UK website for more information and contact details.
‘Everly’s birthday was a beautiful, gentle day yesterday, we had lots of emotional but absolutely overwhelmingly thoughtful surprises,’ Iris added.
‘It fills my heart with so much warmth and love to know our Everly is so loved and thought of and that our support network is above and beyond.
‘Thank you so much to all my family and friends and to all the most beautiful messages we received.’
She has been very open throughout her grieving process to help remove the stigma around stillbirth and losing children.
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