Jasmyn was our little surprise princess, little sister to Natasha and Owen. She was so perfect and really made our family complete. We had the perfect pregnancy and she was born full term and healthy on the 17th January 2017.
Jasmyn had so much personality from the moment she was born. Natasha and Owen were, and are still, very proud older siblings and love her so much. When Jasmyn was 5 months and 1 week old we put Natasha, Owen and Jasmyn to bed at 7pm, with no suspicion that something was about to go horribly wrong.
Natasha came into our bedroom at 6.45am on the 24th of June to wake us up. My heart dropped as Jasmyn had never slept through before, and I remember asking my husband if she had slept right through, partly in disbelief and concern. I looked at the baby monitor and knew something was wrong and raced into her room. I will never forget the that feeling that came over me and the sound that escaped my body as I looked over the side of the cot to our lifeless princess.
What followed next was chaos. Between grabbing at Jasmyn begging her to come back, trying to protect our other children, paramedics, police, detectives, the coroner, family, friends, funeral directors,
celebrants, flower deliveries, it seemed to go forever. It felt like a bad movie that we were watching around us but it never ended.
These first few weeks are a blur and I vaguely remember details. These last 18 months have been hell on
earth. Being a parent can be hard but also so rewarding. To love and be loved in return by our children is something indescribable.
Learning to be a parent to an angel is unbearable and not something I think I will ever become accustomed to. We include Jasmyn in everything we do but it’s just not enough. Enough would be having our baby in our arms and watching her grow with her sister and brother. Our hearts are full with love for
our children but broken at the same time. Our arms look full to onlookers with Natasha and Owen, yet they don’t know how empty they actually are. As a parent of both earth children and an angel I feel guilty everyday that I cannot be with them all. Torn between here and there with no answers, no valid reason as to why our little girl was taken from us. And guilty of not being able to give Natasha and Owen an answer or to guarantee that nothing bad will ever happen again.
Every day is different, but we do our best to make all three of our children feel loved and included. Natasha and Owen will always know about their sister, although their memories may fade of the short time they got to spend with Jasmyn because they are so young, but we will make sure they never forget the love.
– Liz Willcox (Jasmyn’s mum)
Jasmyn Willcox – 17/01/2017 – 24/06/2017
Liz and Ben Willcox have hosted Uniting for Jasmyn Gala Balls in 2019, 2020 and 2021 in Redcliffe, Queensland. The Gala Balls, hosted in July, brought together hundreds of guests in honour of Jasmyn, and raised funds for River’s Gift in our combined hope of Stamping Out SIDS.
Click here to visit Uniting for Jasmyn on Facebook
