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Honouring Sienna Elizabeth Rose: A Legacy of Love and Change
Warning: This article contains content that some readers may find distressing
On the 19th of January 2025, a beautiful angel, Sienna Elizabeth Rose O’Shea, was born sleeping at 40 weeks + 3 days. Weighing a perfect 6.9 lbs, she entered the world at 13:21, leaving behind a love so profound it would inspire a movement to help other families facing similar heartbreak.
Sienna’s journey began on a Sunday morning, filled with the excitement of her arrival. Her mother, Hayley Wilkins, busy nesting, was overjoyed when her waters broke. Messages of excitement were sent to loved ones, and her Nana, Karen, had just landed in Málaga, perfectly timed to be part of this special moment.
However, within minutes, the unthinkable happened. Hayley began bleeding, and despite remaining calm to protect her little one, the urgency of the situation led to an unexpected change in plans. Instead of the hospital in Marbella, the family rushed to Estepona’s hospital, where their world would change forever.
Upon arrival, doctors found only the faintest heartbeat. A crash C-section was performed immediately. As Hayley was put to sleep, her last words were a desperate plea to the surgeon: “Please save my baby.” But fate had other plans.
During the operation, Sienna’s cord had been accidentally compressed as she moved when her waters broke, and she peacefully slipped away, knowing only the warmth and love of her mother’s womb. To make matters even more heartbreaking, Hayley’s body reacted to the trauma, causing a collapsed lung, which led to an induced coma. As the family grappled with the devastating loss of their baby girl, they also faced the fear of losing Hayley.
Images © Hayley Wilkins / Sienna Elizabeth Rose Foundation
Sienna was perfect—dark curls, delicate lips, big hands and feet, and a button nose. Her Nannas and Daddy held her, dressed her, kissed her, and surrounded her with all the love in the world. But the Spanish hospital system, with different regulations than the UK, meant Sienna had to be taken to a funeral director just hours after her passing. The hospital lacked a cuddle cot, which would have given her family more precious time with her. Instead, Hayley woke from the coma to the devastating news that not only had she lost her baby, but she also could not even hold her immediately.
Determined to see her daughter, she discharged herself after just four days and made a five-hour round trip to cradle Sienna in her arms. That one-hour embrace was both the happiest and most heartbreaking moment—a moment she wishes she could relive endlessly. On the 28th of January, with a beautiful ceremony in Málaga Vélez, Sienna was laid to rest with pink flowers, white feather balloons, teddies, candles, and a service fit for an angel.
In the wake of this tragedy, the love and generosity of kind souls helped ease some of the burden through a GoFundMe page. But out of this pain came a purpose: to ensure no other family in Spain endures the same experience without support.
The Sienna Elizabeth Rose Foundation
Sienna’s legacy will live on through a foundation set up by her mother, Hayley Wilkins, dedicated to helping grieving families, providing resources, and ensuring hospitals are better equipped for such losses. The goals of the foundation include:
- Providing hospitals with cuddle cots to give parents more time with their babies.
- Raising funds to assist with funeral costs for grieving families.
- Creating memory boxes with baby moulds, ink pads, and keepsakes.
- Offering free photography services to capture precious moments for families.
- Donating sleeping gowns made from repurposed wedding dresses.
- Building a support team for grief counselling and family assistance.
- Organising fundraising events in both the UK and Spain to support these initiatives.
The journey ahead will be challenging, but every obstacle will be worth overcoming in Sienna’s honour. Through this foundation, Hayley hopes to bring comfort to other grieving families, ensuring no parent faces this kind of loss alone.
To support this cause, you can donate, share, or follow their journey:
GoFundMe:
https://gofund.me/e2be9d76
Facebook:
https://facebook.com/61573681451373
Email:
Siennaelizabethrosefoundation@gmail.com
Tel/WhatsApp: +34 711056796
Sienna may never have touched the ground, but she touched hearts around the world. Let’s honour her by making a difference.
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