Parents who received vital bereavement support from East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices (EACH) cut the ribbon at its new shop in Beccles today.
Jesse Nixon, husband Will and sons Marlo, six, and Beau, one, were on hand to officially open the store in New Market.
It is the 48th in EACH’s portfolio and in a prominent unit between the Co-op supermarket and The Kings Head Hotel. It replaces Shoe Zone.
Jesse and her family were asked to do the honours after receiving support from EACH following the death of second son Otis, in February 2020.
Having been born the previous month, he spent his whole life on a ventilator and was diagnosed with type zero Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA).
It was at that point his family was referred to EACH and transferred to The Nook.
Otis was then taken off life-support and died after just 30 days.
“It was a real honour to cut the ribbon and we’ll forever be thankful to EACH,” said Jesse, who lives in Beccles.
“At the very beginning, we couldn’t even look after ourselves, let alone anyone else.
“We had meals cooked for us and there was someone there to help with Marlo.
“Having Otis there with us after he’d passed was also very helpful, in terms of coming to terms with things.
“It meant we didn’t have to rush into anything and could take our time adjusting.
“The staff were so accepting and even after we’d returned home, they were always on the other end of a phone.
“EACH’s support every step of the way was an absolute lifeline.”
Jesse and her family also benefitted from bereavement support groups.
“I’m not sure anything else would have worked so effectively, in terms of helping navigate our grief,” she said.
“It was a safe space where we could be completely open and they allowed us to manage our grief with a clear mind, or as clear a mind as possible.
“It made our grief feel validated and wasn’t just about sharing sadness – it was also about sharing joy and nothing was taboo.
“We could talk about our son in a joyful way. As ridiculous as it sounds, we’d laugh about things and there were light moments amid the sadness.
“It was lovely being somewhere no-one passed judgement and that opened my eyes to a completely different world.”
Jesse recently shared her story as part of EACH’s ‘I wish you knew…’ campaign – a myth-busting awareness drive that aimed to provide a “full, accurate and honest” picture of life at its Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk bases.
Meanwhile, underpants and socks previously owned by music megastar Ed Sheeran were up for grabs when the shop opened at 10am.
They were among an array of nearly 450 goods that EACH has been selling via its eBay site since November – so far raising nearly £30,000.
A bundle of items, which also included leather bracelets and a baseball cap, was put aside for new shop openings and immediately reserved for Beccles.
Anyone interested in volunteering at the shop can find out more by popping in for a chat, emailing shop manager Tracey Riley via Tracey.Riley@each.org.uk or by calling 01502 441021.
