Oakley-Joshua The Squirrel

In loving memory of

Oakley-Joshua Keenan

12.01.2022

Oakley-Joshua was to be our second baby boy and truly was a miracle baby. Mummy was just finishing a mentally and physically draining 6 month treatment, which potentially meant no more children ever when you were conceived. Even some medical staff cried when they found out at this unexpected but pleasant surprise. Plans changed and we dared to dream.

People rallied around supporting Mummy and Daddy as you needed to be kept an eye on whilst you grew in Mummies tummy, but you kept showing everyone what a big healthy boy you were going to be. You sent Daddy on endless missions to get oranges, even in the middle of the night because they tasted extra yummy to you. We started to collect items donated or bought including a pram, something we imagined taking you for your first stroll along the seafront on a cool Sunday morning.

Due to your angel siblings, Mummy was given regular visits, check ups and scans and on 12th January 2022, a day etched in our mind now forever, during a routine scan with the consultant, screens were checked and rechecked, Mummy was told to move this way and that, medical staff eyes clouded with tears. Then, that look every parent dreads when your eyes met theirs finally. With kindness it was explained in words that mainly washed over us, that you had passed away and gone to heaven. Mummy remained silent but you could see she was broken and wanted to just to collapse. What happened after still to this day remains very much a blur, but you were perfect, so perfect it was cruel that you should have been taken away from us, when you had been a miracle who was conceived during your Mummies treatment.

The corridor you have to walk down afterwards when the time came to depart you, seemed to extend and never end. As we walked clutching the little box of your things, forever memories of what might have been, what could have been.

You were named after the oak tree in the book the enchanted wood, a symbol of strength and natural beauty, but also Mummy’s ’s favorite book which she would happily read to you in her belly, hoping you would be enjoying the words. Also it’s meaning the oak tree, the strength despite the sadness giving us comfort and strength in the difficult weeks, and months that followed. Our little acorn did not get to grow and develop into the hopes and dreams we had, however your brief existence had given us hope and filled us with the possibility of a future, that Mummies treatment had worked and she was going to be ok, she was going to be able to live for our precious sweet angel boy.

Your middle name Joshua was after Mummy’s dear friend who has provided strength understanding and bravery missing from her early years.

The negative feelings were soon replaced with positives like the oak growing though adversity, the miracle you were conceived, the hope for the future how you drew us closer together and most of all the kindness of others.

You are special and always will be special in our hearts and minds thank you Oakley-Joshua Keenan, our sweet precious baby boy.