Fight for Finn

Please join us 🙏🏼💛

thank you 💙🩷

Yesterday was the year anniversary of the day we brought Finley home from the hospital. We were so full of hope and overwhelming love. Today, Finley would have turned 13 months old. So it feels like the right day to share how we will be remembering our boy this baby loss awareness week, 9-15th October. The devastation of losing a child is all consuming. Grief does not follow 5 simple steps or fit neatly into a certain amount of time. We are triggered countless times daily from known and unknown sources. The loss of our son and the dreams we had for him will stay with us forever. We now must learn to build a life around that loss. One way we’ve found helps, is to openly talk about Finley, to keep the bond between us and him very much alight. To do things for him and with him. So, on Saturday 14th October I will be completing a 10km walk/run (let’s be realistic!) with my sidekick Jules.

My aim in this post is not to raise money (although that is ultimately what these charities need) but to raise awareness. You have already given enough to our family, we will always be grateful for the support shown to us, that allowed us to get Finley back to the UK. The purpose of this post is to publicly thank and promote the amazing work done by some incredible charities and individuals. Those of whom we would not be here today without. So please join me in sharing support and awareness to the following:
EACH - East Anglia’s Children’s Hospice https://www.each.org.uk/
Unique - Understanding Rare Chromosome Disorders https://rarechromo.org/
Sands - improving the care bereaved parents receive https://www.sands.org.uk/
4 Louis - providing memory boxes to parents https://4louis.co.uk/memory-boxes

I cannot stress how much these charities have helped and continue to help us. Grief is lonely and isolating. These people allow us to feel it but also show us how to find the glimmers.

If you’d like to join me for a section of the run please get in touch, likewise if you do want to donate to any of the charities in Finley’s name then please do. But please, no pressure. We just want to say thank you and give back. ✌🏼💛 You can read more about Finley’s story on my fundraising page.

https://fundraising.sands.org.uk/fundraisers/abigailkay/ribbon-run

I'm taking part in Ribbon Run to help save babies' lives. Want to join me in supporting a good cause? I'm taking part in the Ribbon Run for Sands and raising money for a cause close to my heart. I would love your support. £20 could provide a bereaved family with a memory box to help create and keep safe precious and lasting memories of their baby. If you ...

We will be celebrating the life of our son Finley Rain Brian Richard Phillips on Saturday 25th March 2023.
The service and wake will take place at The Corn Barn, CountryWays, Little Knowle Farm High Bickington Umberleigh (near Barnstaple) North Devon, UK EX37 9BJ. Time tbc.
We are deeply moved at how Finley touched the hearts of so many in his short yet exceptional life and as such we wish to open up this event to those who would like to attend.
Please do let us know by Friday 10th March if you are able to join us so that we can confirm numbers to the venue.
Thank you so much, all our love Abigail, Nick and Finley # # #

Yesterday morning our Finley slipped away into his final sleep. His journey was too hard and he just couldn’t do it anymore. He was the most beautiful, strong, clever and brave boy and we are so lucky to have been his parents for almost 6 months. He brought us so much joy and love like we’ve never known. We are completely broken but even in his final weeks Finley knew he had to get us home to England with family before he said goodbye to us. Please respect our privacy at this raw and deeply painful time. We are not ready to receive messages or calls yet. Thank you for everything you did to help our warrior. He will forever be in our hearts. ❤️

A truly wonderful day! Finley met his Uncle Moo (Matt to most people!) and after a long 4 weeks in hospital, Bangkok and Ipswich…our boy is home ❤️ We are still waiting on future treatment plans but for now he is home and we intend to have quite a few pyjama days! Big hugs and love from all of us # #

See link in story

Thank you to Christy O’Brien at Surrey Live What's On for sharing our story. We are especially grateful for your time and the continued support form so many of you ❤️

Mum 'drained' after travelling across world to save newborn son Abigail Kay was living in Thailand when her son Finley was born leaving her to fork out thousands in medical bills

Landed, settled and exhausted! Thank you so much to all the incredible people who have helped us whilst/since leaving Bangkok. The removals and shipping company United Removals who literally packed up our lives in a day. The amazing people who helped us in so many ways over the last 5 years but proved in the last 5 months what a special community they are. The team who organised the entire process for us and stayed by our sides throughout. The wonderful team who have done everything in their power to help us since before Finley was born. The staff who showed huge compassion during the flight. The NHS nurses, doctors, ambulance team who took us in, held our hands and reassured two very frightened parents. Never ever take the for granted, we are so lucky to have access to such a good healthcare and to such an inspiring and hardworking, caring system and individuals. And finally, to every single person who wished us well, donated and raised funds, spread the word, cooked us meals, wiped our tears and picked us up off of the floor. We don’t have enough words to thank you all and our love for you all is ever lasting. And lastly, to Finley, our warrior, our strength and inspiration. We are so proud of his courage. Here’s to you baby boy. You are powerful and you are loved. ❤️

I can’t believe I am writing this as we’ve spent the last few days with stomachs tied up in knots, worried for something to go wrong, but I can announce that we are off! Finley was accepted to Ipswich hospital on Wednesday. He won’t stay there for his treatment but he will be cared for there until the best hospital for him can be found. This gets us home and into the NHS, who have accepted Finley’s case. What a relief! So, we are now waiting to be transported to the airport by ambulance. Finley is stable, sleeping and breaking the nurses hearts as he leaves. We cannot thank the staff in the NICU at Bumrungrad hospital enough. Through the darkest and hardest days they have been nothing but caring and calming. Nick and I haven’t had a moment to breathe this week, we’ve packed up our lives within a few days. Apologies for not replying to all the messages of love we’ve had. We will get around to it! After all, it is you, our heroes who have made this possible. We will never be able to thank you accordingly but please know you are in our hearts forever. So, now to the airport! Thailand, you’ve been the best home away from home. We’ll miss you and our family here so much. So this isn’t goodbye, it’s see you again. UK, see you soon ❤️ hope it’s not too cold! # # #

A wonderful and gifted friend has made me this ring using the last of Finley’s breast milk. Breast feeding is such a personal journey and one that was taken away from me. Finley was never able to latch so I expressed milk around the clock for him to drink from his bottle. However at 3 months we were advised to move him to formula as he needed the extra calories and his little gut couldn’t stomach any of the little dairy I had left in my in my diet. Luckily I was able to find a mother to donate the 250-300 pouches of breastmilk that I had in my freezer to, my time and efforts weren’t wasted and I’m glad I could help another little boy and mummy. With the last pouch that I expressed this ring was made ❤️ I can’t thank enough. The meaning of this ring is beyond sentimental. In some way it makes me feel closer to Finley whilst he is not with us, for that gift I will be forever grateful.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0dwm7cj this link will take you to our radio interview this morning (UK time) with BBC Radio Solent Dorset. Scroll to 07:45am. ❤️

Can’t wait to have our little penguin back in our arms again. Our flight has been confirmed! We depart Bangkok February 3rd 00:15am and land at LHR February 3rd 06:20am. Once we land we will be taken straight to the hospital with the medical team escorting us. We still don’t know which hospital this will be but the SOS team are working tirelessly to make sure it’s the best place for Finley. Please follow our journey and wish us all the best for a safe and successful flight.

This was shared with me yesterday by a gorgeous new friend. For the past 5 months we have felt extreme anger, resentment, deep sadness and grief for what should have been. Feelings I know I certainly haven’t processed yet or haven’t had the time to. Life is really hard and when you’re thrown into impossible situations like ours you look for answers everywhere but no with the shred of rational brain you have left that there are no answers. I am functioning on adrenaline only right now and I am intensely aware that at some point I will crumble but to know that we have such a huge team around us is a comfort beyond belief. This poem, as soon as I read it, made me shout ‘that’s it, that’s exactly it!’ So I thought I’d share to help others understand. And thank new friend for bringing it into my life ❤️

We’ve hit the headlines again in the Dorset news ❤️ please keep sharing. Your support is driving us through the hardest days of our lives xx

Parents' fight to bring baby boy with rare disorder home for lifesaving treatment A Bridport man along with his wife and son have been left stranded in Thailand after their son Finley was born with an extremely rare condition,…

Update ❤️

Update ❤️

We’ve made the Dorset news! Thank you Edd Church .live for interviewing us with great compassion and for raising awareness of our story ❤️

Family devastation at baby's one-in-a-billion genetic defect Little Finley was born with duplicate chromosomes, causing limb deformation and a wide array of other severe health complications

Thanks to your donations this little dude is one step closer to escaping the silent world he’s been living in. Hearing aids being fitted in February 🎉❤️ What song should we play to him first? Suggestions below!

Thank you for joining our fight. Your support, messages, kindness and love mean the world to us. Please share and spread the word and help us to give our son a chance at a life he has a right to.

Finley's rare chromosome disorder will present in many different ways over the course of his life. The medical team supporting us have no way of being able to predict the costs of care. His medical treatment is on going and as such we will keep his Just Giving page open and we will keep raising as much as we can.

We really hope to raise awareness of rare chromosome disorders and so any funds remaining will be donated to a variety of charities and families who also need help accessing the healthcare they should have the right to.

Already, you, our friends, family, friends of friends and complete strangers have demonstrated to us how much love there is in the world. In today's world, when sometimes things can seem so bleak, you have proven that love will always overcome and always overpower no matter what shape or form it presents itself in. Let's keep loving, let's keep fighting, and let's stand up for the children who can't stand for themselves yet.

Get sharing!
Thank you xx