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True Lives
is now off-air for the time-being. Thanks to all of you who have written,
emailed and telephoned with your experiences.
We hope to
bring you another series at sometime in the future.
In the meantime, you can listen once again to the existing programmes
right here -- and read some of the stories that helped to make them.
Find
out about the True Lives baby
Letter
of the series:
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Junior
The child of Richard and Oat Hookway from Thailand didn't live long enough to be named, so he is simply remembered as "Junior"
When our “Junior” died, I sat next to my wife in our local hospital here in Thailand and we managed a smile - he had given us a great time!
A great four months - from the tears of discovering we were about to be parents to the trauma of the blood, the rush to the hospital and the miscarriage after twenty-three weeks of pregnancy.
The three of us had had a great time. A sad end, but a great experience.
It wasn't the parenthood of seeing a child grow and laugh and cry and fall in love, but it was our only experience of anything like parenthood.
When I was called in, our “Junior” was lying motionless by the bed and I was stunned. For a while I stood frozen, unsure what to do.
I soon realised these were precious moments and I stepped forward and touched my son - felt my own flesh and blood. Such a strange, new and wonderful experience!
Richard and Oat Hookway |
But the strongest impression I have is of his mother - my wife - and seeing the love and peace and perfect happiness on her face as she stroked our dead baby's head.
Her eyes never left our boy; her smile never wavered, though she glanced away briefly to look at me and comment on how alike we were.
And we were - the nose, forehead and even the dimple in the chin. He was a little version of me!
Our family - our brush with parenthood - had lasted just ten minutes. But knowing that he had peed while in the doctor's care gave his little life some impact on the world, and made us proud of him. Our “Junior”.
Richard and Oat Hookway
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| True
Lives contributor Jannine Mann, who told us about her experiences
of pregnancy during the series, has now given birth to a baby girl! |
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Logan
Eloise arrived at 15:25 hours on the 18th October, 2002, weighing
a healthy seven-pounds-six-ounces. |
The
postal address is:
True Lives, PO Box 76, London WC2B 4PH
email: truelives@bbc.co.uk
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