Mother aims to help parents who suffered baby loss with new charity shop in Harlaxton near Grantham
A mother, who lost her own baby, is planning to open a new shop to help families in a similar heartbreaking position.
It was in 2014 that Karen Dobson found out at her 12-week scan that there was a problem with her baby’s heart.
Doctors gave Karen the sad news that her baby would not survive. Karen later gave birth to a daughter she named Christina, who was stillborn.
“After losing Christina, I felt as though a part of me died too,” said Karen, who is sharing her story during Baby Loss Awareness Week.
Karen, who already had a two-year-old daughter Rosalie at the time, became depressed and had a nervous breakdown. She recalled she “felt like the world moved on around me, but my own world had come to a complete halt”.
Shortly after the loss, she moved to Canada with her family and underwent therapy with a psychiatrist and psychologist, and she felt like they “brought me back to the world of the living again”.
Karen went on to have another daughter two years later, Daisy-May. The family spent five and a half years in Canada but due to the country’s financial crisis, they moved to Harlaxton, near Grantham, in 2019.
She is now opening an apothecary shop in Harlaxton, which will also run as a not-for-profit charity called KazCare, aiming to support parents who have experienced child loss or have premature babies.
Karen, originally from Stevenage, said: “It’s incredibly important to me to raise money and support these parents.
“My experience showed me how little care and consideration is available, and I want to help fill that gap.
“Through KazCare, I aim to offer financial assistance for time off work, rent, funeral costs and crucial tests like the Harmony Test, which can help parents make informed decisions, but isn’t available through the NHS.
“Providing this support is key to helping families navigate these devastating situations.
“I’m now a grievance counsellor and I believe nothing qualifies you more to help another grieving parent than personal experience.
“There was a serious lack of support in my own journey. Had I not moved to another country where the mental health services are the third best in the world, I don’t think I would be here today.”
The Harmony Test uses cell-free DNA from a baby to evaluate possible chromosomal conditions and is done as early as week 10 of a pregnancy.
In her shop, Karen, who’s daughters are now aged 14 and 8, plans to sell homemade products for health, home and beauty, as well as handcrafted gifts.
There will also be crystals, herbal teas, memorial keepsakes, essential oils, personal goods and much more.
She is also in talks to bring in a freeze dryer, which could allow her to provide freeze-dried meals to a local Helping Hands group.
Alongside health products, she also wants to find knitters who ake clothes for premature babies that can also be sold in the shop.
In preparation for the opening of the shop, this Christmas she will be hosting workshops for children to create handmade soaps and candles for their parents as presents.
Another Christmas event Karen is holding will be a fair on December 7 at The Royal Queen pub in Belton Lane, Grantham, raising money for Helping Hands.
She added: “One of my goals is also to provide emotional support to parents who are going through the difficult experience of child loss, something I understand all too well.”
Karen plans to open the shop on May 7, 11 years since she lost Christina.
Looking to the future, once KazCare is up and running, she hopes it will create a “strong community”.
She added: “I envision the shop as a place where people can come together to learn, heal, and make a difference.
“I aim to heal hearts by helping others.”
Baby Loss Awareness Week concludes tonight (Tuesday, October 15) with a global Wave of Light at 7pm, where families are invited to light a candle in memory of the babies lost too soon.
