May 17th 2024.
Mike and Jess, along with their children Noah and Bodhi and Jess's daughter Billie, have a unique and heartwarming story to tell. They are the parents of Teddy Houlston, a baby boy who, unfortunately, was born with a fatal congenital brain condition in 2014. Teddy only lived for 100 minutes, but in that short time, he made history by becoming Britain's youngest organ donor. This sparked a movement for an opt-out system for organ donation in the country.
Now, 10 years later, Mike and Jess have welcomed a little girl into their family. They are overjoyed and feel like their family is complete again. They named her Bodhi and her big brother Noah is absolutely smitten with her. Jess shares that Noah had always been longing for a sibling and would ask every night when they could have another baby. He always felt like something was missing and now with Bodhi, he finally feels complete.
Even though he never got to meet his twin brother Teddy, Noah still feels a special connection with him. He often plays a recording of Teddy's heartbeat, which is placed in two teddy bears, for Bodhi. Jess and Mike are happy to see their son's bond with his brother and how they are keeping Teddy's memory alive.
Jess also shares that having Bodhi has brought a sense of joy and completeness to their family in a way that they weren't able to experience with Teddy. She mentions that Bodhi even has Teddy's mouth and when she sleeps with her mouth wide open, she looks just like him. Mike adds that Bodhi feels like a missing piece of their puzzle and with her arrival, their family feels almost complete again.
The couple found out about Teddy's condition at the 12-week scan and knew that he would only survive for a few hours outside the womb. Despite this, they decided to go ahead with the birth of both Teddy and Noah. After Teddy's passing, they chose to donate his organs and his heart valves and kidneys were successfully donated to an adult woman. Mike and Jess shared their story with the Mirror in 2015 and their campaign for an opt-out system for organ donation was successful in 2020, with the law being named the "Max and Keira Law" after two young organ donors.
Their journey to parenthood has not been without its challenges. Jess has a 12-year-old daughter, Billie, from a previous relationship and after Teddy's passing, she couldn't bring herself to get pregnant again for a few years. They also faced three miscarriages before finally welcoming Bodhi into the world. And even after her birth, they feared tragedy might strike again when Bodhi developed an infection at just 12 hours old. Thankfully, she recovered and is now a happy and healthy baby.
Noah is extremely proud of his little sister and loves showing her off to his friends. He often visits her room for a cuddle and feels a special bond with her. Seeing how much Noah wanted a sibling, Mike and Jess started trying for a baby three years ago and now, with Bodhi's arrival, their family is complete and full of love. They may have faced challenges and heartache along the way, but they are grateful for the joy and love that their children bring into their lives.
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