A bereaved father from Shipley has spoken of how his family is healing after losing his baby girl to a brain tumour.
Paul Taylor and his wife Jane Hughes fell in love with their daughter, Charlotte, from the moment she was born in August 2020.
She began life as a healthy baby girl, sleeping well and eating a lot of food.
But that all changed when Charlotte became unsettled and agitated during a check-up.
“We were completely shocked following that consultation to find out Charlotte had a brain tumour,” Paul said.
“She was rushed for surgery the next day to remove as much of the tumour as the doctors could, but it was already too big and entwined within her brain to be removed through surgery and, given her young age, any radiation treatment was a huge risk. It was devastating.
“The tumour was later confirmed to be a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer that would be terminal for our baby.
“A few months later she passed away peacefully in our home in January 2021.”
The family was living in Prague, Czechia, at the time, leaving them isolated from family and friends in the UK.
Jane said: “The day we learned of Charlotte’s tumour our world was rocked and, understandably, we struggled to process what was happening.
“Despite the continued wonderful care we had from the medical staff at the hospital, the lack of family nearby meant that we were in desperate need of extra support.
“We contacted Rainbow Trust and were blown away by the speedy offer of support from our family support worker, Angie Pinnock, who we started speaking to regularly on zoom and on the phone.”
The organisation offers support to families dealing with various stages of having a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness.
To give back and remember his beloved daughter, Paul is set to run the London Marathon this October.
“We were amazed by the incredible job the charity does,” he said.
“Every family who finds themselves in a similar situation deserves the same level of care.”
Paul will be joined by friends Guy Witzling, Ed Knowles, Daniel Saint James and Tom Scally.
The group met through Paul’s ‘Old Town Running’ club in Prague - something that got him through the darkest days of Charlotte’s treatment.
Almost £5,000 has been raised so far.
To donate, visit the Just Giving page here (www.justgiving.com/fundraising/CharlotteTaylor-Hughes)
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