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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Aaliyah Rugg & David Clark

Parents want grief taught in schools as daughter struggling after baby sister's death

The parents of a baby girl who died suddenly are campaigning for dealing with grief to be taught in schools.

One-year-old Faye Irene Holden, known affectionately as Fifi, died suddenly and unexpectedly on January 10.

The toddler's death has left her parents Megan Shiels and Jack Holden, who described her as a “little dream”, heartbroken.

The couple from Merseyside say that Fifi's older sister Isla, five, is finding the grief difficult to process.

Megan described Faye as being a "perfect" baby who loved music and dancing and, along with Jack, is now campaigning for schools to teach the grieving process.

The parents told the Liverpool Echo: "Our Isla is learning what death is and how to grieve, she wasn't aware.

Faye with her big sister Isla (echo)

“If she had that education before, it wouldn't have made it easier but she'd have been aware.

“She has had a lot of support from her school, she's very mature five going on 15, she's been our rock and has been unbelievable.

“The first day she went in to school she told everyone, but having that understanding and knowledge it would've helped her.

"Isla believed Faye's whole body went and it was hard explaining she was gone but her body wasn't and she didn't know what a funeral was for.

“As parents, it would have been easier for us as well if she had that understanding of what it was and what came after and that it's okay to grieve.

"Initially she was getting upset and hiding it, not because we told her to but because she didn't know what it was or what to do. She's more clued on now but we had to think on our feet."

The petition calls for age-appropriate education to help children understand death as a part of life.

In the hopes of making a change, and allowing their daughter's memory to live on, Jack and Megan added: "We fully agree. I shared it on Facebook and it grew from there, thousands more people signed.

"I was expecting it to be taboo but everyone is in agreement. And it should be, you can do age-appropriate education, it's a form of life and at some point everyone will experience it so if you can give children a heads up, help them understand.

"You want to protect your kids from everything, you don't want them to see the bad side of the world but death is part of life.

“Prior to losing Faye, we were like that, but it would really have helped.

"There's thousands of kids that lose their grandparents and we've found that a lot of parents don't know how to tell their children, so often don't but if parents knew their children were getting that education then it's easier for them too."

The circumstances around Faye's unexpected death are currently unknown but hundreds of tributes poured in for the "adorable" toddler.

A fundraising page has also been set up to help the family during this heart-breaking time.

An Instagram account has been created by the family, celebrating Faye's life, after she "grew her wings early".

Posting photographs of Faye, the family are wanting to share their grief, support others, as well as keeping their daughter's name and memory "living on".

Her loving parents added: "We just want to say thank you, the support has been overwhelming. We want to carry Faye's name on now and do everything we can in her name."

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