Please help provide comfort for families who have lost their child.
Will you help us to buy keepsake ‘heartbeat bears’ for the siblings and parents of terminally ill children, so that when they die, they can be comforted by the sound of their child’s heartbeat.
Hadice, pictured, spent more than half her life on the Children’s Ward at Whittington Hospital, until she sadly passed away in December 2025, aged just ten years old.
When she died, our palliative care team provided Hadice’s mum, Kamala, with a soft teddy bear with a recording of Hadice’s heartbeat. This ‘heartbeat bear’ has been a comfort to Kamala as she comes to terms with her devastating loss.
Hadice’s Story
Hadice was born at 36 weeks, and at two days old she had her first surgery. Throughout her short life, Hadice endured around 65 surgeries, and was on the waiting list for five organ transplants that might save her life.
Heartbreakingly, towards the end of last year, Hadice’s health deteriorated. On 30th December, Hadice very sadly passed away, leaving her devoted mother, Kamala, devastated.
Kamala had given up her job as a midwife when Hadice was born and spent every day for 10 years at Hadice’s side. Since her passing, Kamala has slept with a heartbeat bear, which was given to her by the Whittington team who cared for Hadice. This soft toy bear contains a recording of Hadice’s heartbeat, and it provides some comfort to Kamala as she tries to come to terms with her tragic loss.
A source of comfort to bereaved parents and siblings.
Heartbeat bears are specialised comfort teddy bears designed to hold a 20 second recording of a loved one’s heartbeat. Used as a profound keepsake for bereaved parents and siblings, they provide a tangible, huggable, and auditory comfort to help navigate the loss of a child. Each bear costs £25. Please donate whatever you can afford so that we can give them to parents like Kamala.