A COUPLE are hoping to raise £1,500 to buy a memorial headstone for one of their baby twins who died after being born at just 25 weeks.

Susan Jones and Michael Mason, from Droitwich, want to gain some closure for baby Aurora May having had to make the heart-breaking decision to let her go five days after she was born.

The parents were finally able to take their other baby, Daisy May, home, still on oxygen after 116 days in hospital – but are in “major financial difficulty”.

“We really need help to purchase the headstone that we're finding impossible to fund, due to constant days or at times weeks in hospital as Daisy May is very fragile and prone to illness due to weak immune system,” said Michael, 29.

After a fairly uneventful pregnancy, Susan, suddenly went into labour on May 17 last year and gave birth to the twins within an hour.

“They had to be rushed to neonatal – there were 10 doctors in the room, four around each baby and two with me,” said the 27-year-old first-time mum.

The two parents were unable to see their babies for 10 hours while doctors fought to stabilise them, with their lungs severely under-developed.

They were given life-saving treatment, both undergoing several blood transfusions and being put into a medically-induced coma.

Susan and Michael were then told their daughters would have to be transferred to Wolverhampton Hospital as they were too premature to be treated further at Worcestershire Royal.

A critical care ambulance, which included a portable incubator, was utilised but “getting them stabilised was difficult”, said Susan, with doctors fearing Aurora May wouldn’t survive the journey.

Things took a turn for the worst and with little Aurora May having suffered a major bleed on the brain, her parents were given an impossible choice.

“They gave us the option to go to Birmingham Children’s Hospital or say goodbye,” said Susan. “She couldn’t stabilise to get to another hospital. We had to get family over. If she had survived, she may have had severe cerebral palsy.”

Michael added: “That morning we both cuddled and held Aurora while she passed away in our arms.”

The young dad has since been signed off work as a lorry driver due to depression, while he and Susan were forced to wait a month before they could bury their daughter due to a complex post mortem.

“Little Aurora May had a burial where I was privileged to lower her to rest personally,” he said. “Months have passed and myself and Susan are still in major financial difficulty. We both feel that until Aurora May has a headstone, we will not have closure on her resting in Heaven.”

Susan added: “We want to get her something special – she deserves it.”

Aurora May is buried in St John’s churchyard in Bromsgrove.

To donate, search for ‘Baby Aurora May's memorial stone fundraiser’ on Facebook.