Family and friends celebrate baby Elsie’s life by raising funds in her memory

Elsie Sheikh was born with a congenital heart defect and sadly died when she was only ten days old. Parents Naomi and Janay Sheikh decided soon after that they would mark her birthdays and anniversaries each year with ten days of fundraising.

For her first birthday, in October 2022, they ran 10k every day for ten days, with the aim of sponsoring a room in the Hedgehog Suite at the Sussex children's hospice.

This week, Chestnut Tree House revealed more than £2,500 had been donated by the couple, more than enough to give two children a day and night of care and support in the suite.

Funds were also raised for Friends of PICU, a charity that supports the paediatric intensive care unit at Southampton Hospital.

Naomi said: "Elsie's bravery, resilience and courage in the face of all she endured continues to inspire us every day. The phenomenal support of the Chestnut Tree House team has been a lifeline. It is an honour and a privilege for us to have done this for them, and for our beautiful little Elsie.”

The daily runs culminated in a poignant journey from Elsie’s grave at Durrington Cemetery to Chestnut Tree House, where the family had spent their last hours together.

Naomi said: "Elsie was given a little wooden cross at her dedication. She is buried with it and at her funeral, the person who gifted that to her gave us another one. Every day we would run holding that cross. She was our motivation, and we wouldn’t have been able to do it otherwise.

"Training was definitely a saving grace for us. It helped get us out of the house and encouraged us to run with other people who wanted to support us."

Elsie was born at Southampton Hospital and spent most of her time in intensive care. After extensive tests, staff suggested Naomi and Janay think about transferring to a hospice. She was taken to Poling by ambulance and the family spent a special day together. Naomi and Janay were able to introduce their daughter to friends and family at a dedication ceremony before Elsie died that evening. They particularly wanted to sponsor one of the rooms where they spent Elsie’s last hours.

Naomi said: "It was very, very poignant and special for us to be able to bring Elsie into West Sussex. The outdoors is a very important part of my family life and Chestnut Tree House, being nestled in the most gorgeous West Sussex woodlands, felt perfect, really.”