Chloe's Story

Chloe was just 22 years old when she died. Always the life and soul of the party and surrounded by family and friends, she had a job she loved and was beginning to find her independence.

She was so excited about the future and her family proudly watched her bloom.

But a tragic accident changed everything in the blink of an eye.

Chloe suffered fatal injuries when the tractor she was riding on overturned during what began as a happy day at the beach with her boyfriend.

Chloe’s mum Karen was distraught. Twelve years earlier she had to break the news to her children that their dad had died suddenly. Karen thought that was the worst time of her life. She never imagined her anguish at having to telling her son that his sister had died too.

Karen could not bear to think of her vibrant, healthy daughter in a hospital mortuary or a funeral home. She didn’t know where to turn.

Snowflake Room

Thankfully she knew of Tŷ Gobaith and the Snowflake Room, a special temperature controlled room where children who have died can spend time before their funeral so that their families and friends can say goodbye in their own time and in their own way.

When Karen heard Chloe could come to Tŷ Gobaith she breathed again. She felt that she was getting her beautiful daughter back.

Karen found her favourite photo of Chloe. She was wearing her bobble hat and fluffy jacket and had her hair in pigtails. Karen searched for those clothes and gave them and the photo to the nurses at Tŷ Gobaith.

The nurses put Chloe to bed in the Snowflake Room. They dressed her and did her hair and make-up. Chloe looked stunning. She looked like herself.

Precious days

More than 50 of Chloe’s friends and family came to Tŷ Gobaith. Some sat in the private garden outside the Snowflake Room with Karen, some sat and chatted to Chloe and said their goodbyes. They cried and they laughed together. The nurses looked after them too.

Her best friends came and put an angel wing bracelet on Chloe’s wrist so they could always be together. They brought her favourite scented candles and lit them and played her favourite Ed Sheeran CD over and over.

Those precious days at Tŷ Gobaith made Chloe’s family and friends feel that they had her back with them again. They all said it gave them the strength to carry on.