A Leeds woman's life "went down a tunnel" when her baby daughter and mum were on life-support at the same time.
Arti Solanki, who lives in the outskirts of Leeds, was pregnant with her first child during the 2020 pandemic. She and her husband were looking forward to welcoming their daughter into the world, but Arti's labour came weeks earlier than expected.
The 33-year-old said she had "no idea" she was going into labour, before her daughter was born prematurely and without a heartbeat. "As a carrying mother you always question 'what have I done wrong'?," she said.
The little girl, who was named Ra-ang - a name meaning colours - was put into a incubator after birth and put on a ventilator machine. While Arti was praying for her daughter to get better, her mum contracted Covid-19.
Her 54-year-old mum began deteriorating slowly, Arti said, and within 21 days she was put on a ventilator in hospital. "It was a horrible time", Arti added, whose mother and daughter were now both on life-support machines.
The new mum and members of her family had also contracted coronavirus. Arti, who works in finance, had to isolate for 20 days and was not able to see her new born daughter nor her mum during this time.
"We couldn't see our daughter for like 20 days. At this point I thought if there is a God, where is he?". On October 30, 2020, Arti's mum died after battling Covid. She was a supermarket worker and said to be "very popular".
A few weeks later doctors at Leeds Children's Hospital told Arti that they wanted to take her daughter off the ventilator as she was becoming too weak. "But she couldn't breathe without it", the new mum said.
"They told us that she would die within minutes when they took her off the ventilator. It was the worst time of my life."
Arti said her daughter managed to survive four days out of the incubator and her family were able to cuddle her and say goodbye. "My daughter left her mark on the world. She was a warrior", Arti said.
"I try to think of her life as a celebration. I am proud of how she fought and the hospital told us we would only have a few minutes but we had four days with her before she went."
Speaking about her mum, she added: "We were like sisters. We lived together so we were close, too close sometimes."
Arti didn't know how she would go on without either her baby or mum. "At the time there were days where I just wanted to be with them. Existing was hard, and I felt really lost."
She decided to put her energy into something positive. Art added that she is "so grateful" for how the NHS helped her family.
She started a fundraiser and just short of £4,000 was raised for Leeds Children's Hospitals Charity baby unit. "They take care of you like family", she added.
What's more, Arti wanted to do something in honour of her mum. She and her husband began supporting schools in India- where her mum is from.
They help a blind school, and a poverty-stricken school. Arti said: "I just thought we need to do something. In India the poor just remains poor, there's no inbetween. We gave them school books and bags and support them."
In order to continue supporting the schools, and aid her grieving process, the Leeds resident began writing a book called 'When You Lose It All'.
The book is being sold on Amazon and is also available on Kindle. All the proceeds go to the schools in India.
Arti said: "In the last two years I have been writing the book. It has been a healing process. I published it on my mother's birthday. All the proceeds are going to charity.
"I just want the book to go everywhere to help everyone and other mothers too. I don't want credit, I want to help, to help other woman and families who have gone through a similar situation to me. I am doing everything I can."
Arti said the book helped her get through the last two years. "Now when I look back and people would say 'time is a leader' I wouldn't believe them, but it really is.
"I am proud of myself now. I have turned my hurt into something positive. Compared to where I was, and now, I feel like two different people."
She added: "I want to help other people now, and why not, it's beautiful." To purchase 'When You Lose It All', click here.
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