Ric Hart and his wife, Jade, were looking forward to becoming parents to their new baby, back in July 2018.
But tragically, expectant mum, Jade, died shortly after giving birth, aged just 33.
Ric, now 38, was left to raise his son, Huge, now four, alone, and says the responsibility of caring for him ‘kept him on track.’
Now, brave Ric has channelled his grief into writing, and has authored a series of books to explain bereavement to his son, and other children who have suffered a loss.
The full-time-dad, from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, said: ‘When Jade died, I wanted to fall apart.
‘She was my best friend and soulmate, and I didn’t know how to live without her.
‘But I had to find a way to get through it. Whenever I wanted to break down, I’d have half of her staring up at me.
‘At that time, I never imagined that I would get through it and get him to the point where he’s ready to start school.
‘It’s a huge achievement and milestone for us.
‘I wanted to write the books to keep Jade’s memory alive, and to help Hugo and other families navigate grief.’
The couple met as teenagers, and many years later were ecstatic to be parents.
‘Jade was so excited to be a mum,’ Ric said.
‘We were both over the moon when we found out that she was pregnant.
‘She had a really easy pregnancy, there were no problems or reasons to be concerned.’
Jade was induced on July 6, 2018 at Bassetlaw Hospital after doctors became concerned about her increasing blood pressure.
She gave birth to Hugo Jaden Hart naturally on July 8.
But just a few hours later, Jade passed away.
Her death after her firstborn was due to ‘a very serious omission of care’ by staff in July 2018.
She was my best friend and my soulmate.
An inquest earlier this year found a doctor at Bassetlaw Hospital, Nottinghamshire, ’caused serious errors’ which led to her death.
The umbilical cord had been ‘pulled at least four times by a doctor when her placenta had not separated’ – this resulted in her uterus being turned inside out.
She then suffered multiple cardiac arrests, brain damage and organ failure.
The investigation also found that the mismanagement of an ongoing haemorrhage contributed to her death, with regular checks not undertaken.
At her inquest, Assistant Coroner Dr Elizabeth Didcock issued a Preventing Future Deaths warning against the trust, the highest level of concern she is able to express.
In 2021, the Care Quality Commission also fined the trust for two breaches of duty of candour regulations in their treatment of the case.
‘The grief was crazy,’ Ric said.
‘I wasn’t even on this planet, but I had to look after a baby that was only a few hours old.
I needed to find my inner strength and be the best Dad I could be for Hugo
‘I was only getting two or three hours of sleep a night and was visited by frequent traumatic nightmares.
‘Both my family and Jade’s have been amazing and supported me through my darkest times.
‘But I knew I had to find a way to get through this by myself.
‘I needed to find my inner strength to be the best Dad I could be for Hugo.
‘I needed to grow from my grief.
‘I’d promised Jade when she was pregnant that if she was going to carry our baby for nine months, I’d train for nine months after he was born and complete a marathon.
‘So I channelled all my grief and trauma into running.
‘I was literally running away from everything, but it was the outlet that I needed.’
First Ric turned to running to cope with his grief, but when lockdown hit and he couldn’t get childcare for his son, he was forced to stop running and was left alone with his grief.
Soon, he was writing thousands of words each morning before Huge woke up.
This inspired him to write a series of children’s books explaining bereavement.
The latest book in the series, Hugo and Daddy’s School Adventures, was released this September to celebrate Hugo starting school.
He has her smile… there are times when he’s lying in bed next to me and if I squint my eyes, it’s like Jade is there with me.
Ric said: ‘During my darkest moments, I never imagined we’d be where we are now.
‘Hugo is amazing – he’s such a joker and is always giggling.
‘He’s been with me every day, so we have a really tight bond.
‘Losing Jade was the most horrific thing that could have happened, but she left the most beautiful gift behind.
‘He has her smile, it’s phenomenal.
‘There have been times when he’s lying in bed next to me at night, and if I squint my eyes, it’s like Jade is there with me.
‘The books are my gift to Hugo, and Jade’s legacy.
‘I had to find a way to grow from this – to find some light in absolute darkness.
‘I hope one day, when Hugo is older, he’ll read these books to his children and grandchildren.
‘Although my son has to live without his mummy, he knows he’ll always have me.
‘Jade would be so proud of the amazing little boy that Hugo has become, and I know she’d love the books too.
‘Writing the books has saved me.’
Ric is a non-profit book author and proceeds from books sales go to local and national charities. The money from his latest book will go to Hugo’s school.
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