Max's Story

Max was born on 24th November 2011 at 11.17pm, at 23 weeks gestation, weighing 682 grams and measuring 32 centimetres long. He died the very next day.

Max was born in the still of the night, in a moment of the most perfect calm. He had the gentlest of landings onto this earthly plane - welcomed by his amazed mummy, his adoring daddy, his doting Aunty Kate, and two special midwives who never left their side as they experienced hitherto unimaginable fear, pain and uncertainty.

Max's mummy birthed him tenderly, gladly, and humbly in the knowledge that the precious gift she was about to be given would not be hers to keep. Alongside her moments of deep sorrow, however, Max's mummy also felt joy, pride, and wonder when she first met him, and she marvelled at her son's sheer perfection; his perfect grace.

He had ten perfect fingers, long and slender, with which he could have caressed the keys of a piano, like his mum, or used to clutch the ball as he played footy with his dad.

He had ten perfect toes, too. Max's feet bore an exact likeness to his daddy's - strong and wide. Those feet were made to carry him on a thousand astounding adventures. His family did not get to see him set off on those baby feet, but all who heard his story certainly felt his precious footprints on their hearts forever afterwards.

Max's parents knew how fiercely, how bravely he battled to get to them because he wore the marks and bruises of his journey on his tiny body. The story of his life was written quite literally on his fragile, parchment-like skin, and as his mummy and daddy caressed every inch of his body, in awe of what they'd created, his story transferred through their fingertips where it would sit protected inside every molecule of their being - forever a part of them.

Although everything about him was new to them, Max's mummy and daddy had dreamt of a baby and imagined him into being for so many months that they felt they'd known him forever. And so, they talked to him easily and felt themselves already familiar with the unique landscape of his beautiful face. His mummy, especially, recognised Max's little mouth as one that had whispered sweet melodies through her body as it grew, changed and nurtured him.

Since news of Mummy's pregnancy had broken, Max's family and friends had lovingly prepared for him a collection of the cutest baby clothes, hats and booties.

Nanna, especially, went bonkers at the shops, ensuring Max would have an outfit for every imaginable occasion!

But no one was expecting Max to be in such a hurry. There was no time to pack his toys, to arrange his little suitcase, or to bundle him into his own little suits.

Instead, Max's mummy and daddy dressed him in a soft, white suit that befitted his beauty and innocence. It had been handmade by a generous stranger who lovingly provided clothes for tiny babies just like him. His gum-nut hat was the cutest thing anyone in the room had ever seen.

Mummy and Daddy sat cradling Max until the sun came up. It had been a long and weary night but they did not want to close their eyes for a second, even when their tears began to fall.

Though it seemed like a frightening and impossible task at the time, Max's mummy and daddy would, in a few days, have to say goodbye to their beloved baby boy. They felt so privileged that he'd chosen them to be his parents - his most careful protectors - and wished longingly that he could stay.

Because Max would have wanted it so, Mummy and Daddy put on their bravest faces and their biggest smiles to invite everyone who loved Max to come and say goodbye; to wish him well as he embarked upon his next adventure.

Mummy wrapped him, lovingly, in the blanket she'd been knitting especially for her darling baby. It was warm with her touch and full of her spirit. This way Max would always be embraced by his mother's arms. This thought gave her great comfort; a fleeting reprieve from her grief at his passing.

Daddy held Max's hand, stroking his face.

And Mummy put a gentle kiss on her fingertips and placed it on Max's precious little lips.

In his short but significant life Max was loved, protected, and cared for at every moment. He never experienced anger or impatience. He was never alone. He spent his whole life surrounded by people who loved, cherished and adored him.

In short, Max was the luckiest boy in all the world.

After Max was gone, his mummy and daddy held his first doll, Jean-Claude, tight. Though their hearts were broken - heavy and aching - they knew that Max would one day help them find a reason to smile again.

Until then, Max's parents would love and care for each other every way they knew how. Each night, before bed, they would look for him in the moonbeams and stardust that passed overhead in the night sky, and there he would be, always watching over them.