It was a normal day in July 2016 when expectant parents Priyanka Saha and William Calvert set off for their 36 week ultrasound. After an extremely healthy pregnancy, they were both excited to see their baby on ultrasound for the last time before giving birth. And totally unprepared for what was to come.
In a moment that changed their life, they were told their sweet baby had an incurable brain condition known as Miller Dieker Syndrome. That their baby would die and while she lived, would have development disorders and intractable epilepsy.
Having previously survived a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, Priyanka and husband William, waited for labour to come naturally. In what they describe as their darkest hours, they endured 6 agonising more weeks before Priyanka gave birth to baby Lily. Together, on September 7 2016 they embarked on a 10 month and 15 day journey of loving Lily forever.
In her short, but so meaningful life, Lily travelled all over Australia and New Zealand, she touched the lives of all who met her, was deeply loved by her many aunts, uncles and cousins, and displayed a remarkable love of music.
The couple worked hard to keep Lily as healthy and comfortable as possible. Astonishingly Lily only had one visit to the ER and zero hospital admissions. Lily died at home surrounded by love, and warmth. To read more about Lily’s life please visit the blog.
After Lily died, and living with the pain of their loss, and seeing how little support was available to people, Priyanka and Will wanted to use their experience, to help others. Together the couple also set up the Lily Calvert Foundation to support children living with terminal illnesses and break down stigma around grief and child loss. Click on the link below to read more about Priyanka Saha and her work as a trusted adviser in parenting after loss.
