A mum from South Croydon, Disha Dodhia, was this week named as the winner of the Tommy’s charity Inspirational Mum Award for her “resilience and determination”.
Following a healthy pregnancy and relatively smooth delivery at St George’s Hospital in Tooting in February 2016, Disha’s son, Aditya, was stillborn.
Now in its 22nd year, the Tommy’s Awards recognise heroes of families who’ve have been touched by pregnancy complications or the loss of a baby. Each year in Britain, 1 in 4 parents lose a baby through miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth. Every year, 60,000 babies are born prematurely.
“Adi has certainly left his mark on us as parents and our extended family,” Jeeger Dodhia, Disha’s husband, said.
“Despite not being able to feed him or clothe him, Adi has turned Disha into a mother. He has instilled a new type of responsibility and maturity.
Disha Dodhia, right, receives her Tommy’s Inspirational Mum Award from TV presenter Kirsty McCabe
“We are grateful for having been given the happiness and feeling that comes with pregnancy and the idea that you are about to welcome your child, your son into the world.
“Aditya means ‘Sun’ in Sanskrit. People with the name ‘Aditya’ are expected to have a deep inner desire to inspire others in a higher cause.”
Disha and Jeeger are now working to create a lasting legacy for their son.
Fundraising via the Thames Trek to raise money to help others avoid such stillbirths from occurring, they have raised more than £3,000 for charities.
The charity says: “We believe it is unacceptable that 1 in 4 women lose a baby during pregnancy and birth. When a pregnancy fails or a baby dies, it causes devastation.
“Twenty-five years ago, frustrated at the lack of research that meant they could rarely tell families why their babies were dying, two obstetricians in St Thomas’ Hospital in London were inspired to start a campaign for more research into pregnancy problems. That was 1992. Today, we lead the way in maternal and fetal research in the UK.
“We provide advice and treatment through our clinics, website and publications, and our free helpline the PregnancyLine. We believe every pregnancy should have a happy ending and that every baby should have the best chance of being born healthy.”
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