Students campaign for more cold cots at local hospital with ‘Still A Life’ project
A group of students at Wilson’s Hospital School are using their transition year project to “spread awareness and provide services for those faced with the nightmare that is miscarriages and stillbirths”.
The other students are working on Young Social Innovators (YSI), a choice subject in TY that encourages students “to re-imagine the world and empowers them to bring their vision to life”.
The Multyfarnham students’ vision is entitled ‘Still A Life’.
Juliet Hunter, on behalf of the group, contacted the Westmeath Examiner, and she wrote: “It has come to our attention that in our local hospital (Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar), there is only one cold cot.
“A cold cot or a ‘cuddle cot’ is the cot that allows grieving parents to spend a short time with their dead child, our vision is enough cold cots for every grieving mother.”
The student group believe the stigma around miscarriages and stillbirths is where the problem stems from, and they are on a mission to raise awareness of the issue.
“If people aren’t aware of this problem and the conversation isn’t being had, how are they supposed to help solve it? They can’t, and that’s where another part of our vision lies - the conversation on miscarriages and stillbirths and cold cots as part of the Life Skills curriculum.
“We as a YSI class want to make people take notice, we want the government to take notice, we want enough cold cots for every grieving parent, we want services to be available to those facing the nightmare that is miscarriages and stillbirths and we want there to be an awareness of the possibility of this occurring during pregnancy.
“We want it to be every hospital and every woman in every country.
“Our hope is that people will donate to our GoFundMe page (search for Wilson’s Hospital School on the website) to help fund a cot, funding a lifeline for grieving parents in their time of need.”
Fundraising event
On Friday of this week, May 20, the students are doing collection in Harbour Place Shopping Centre and in Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Mullingar.
“Any help from the public would be greatly appreciated and please don’t be shy in coming over and saying hello,” said Juliet.
Later in the month, they are hosting in-school events: on Tuesday May 24, a bake sale; and on Thursday May 26, a movie night for students and teachers.
You can follow the students on TikTok (Still.A.Life) and donate at GoFundME.
Note from the editor: this article was amended on Wednesday May 25 to note that Mullingar hospital has two cold cots and has access to one in the community if needed; and to remove a reference to children being taken directly to the morgue.