Gabriel Lones, 15/11/2024

Thank you for the Bear of Hope that was provided to us in our support pack after we lost our beautiful son, Rafael, on 14 August 2026.

We were 21 weeks pregnant when our baby boy left us. Leaving him at the hospital and walking away without our son was the hardest thing we have ever had to do. The image of our final look at him before we closed the door and left him in that room is something we will carry with us forever.

We are so incredibly grateful for the Bears of Hope support pack, and especially for the bear. At a time when we had to leave our baby behind, the bear gave us something tangible to take home with us — something to hold, something to hug, something that reminded us of Rafael and made us feel a little less alone.

There were moments when I would hold the bear and cry, longing desperately for my baby boy and wishing I could hold him instead.

Now we have Rafael’s ashes safely held within a teddy bear, and that bear has become something incredibly precious to us. It gives us something to hold close when we miss him, something tangible that connects us to our beautiful boy.

Thank you for giving us something to take home when we had to leave our son behind. We will always be grateful for the kindness and love behind this bear, and for the reminder that we were not alone.