Heartbroken Sheffield parents start charity campaign after losing eight-week-old baby Ivy to brain tumour

A heartbroken Sheffield couple have lost their baby daughter to a brain tumour at just eight weeks old.
Ivy MorrisIvy Morris
Ivy Morris

Little Ivy Morris died on October 16 aged less than two months old after being diagnosed with a brain tumour just five days previously.Parents Gary and Alana Morris, who had already suffered two miscarriages before the birth of their daughter this summer, have now launched a fundraising campaign for Bluebell Wood Children's Hospice where Ivy spent her final hours.They have already raised over £4,500 having set an original target of £500.Gary, aged 30, said Ivy's health problems only became apparent when she was taken for a routine check-up at six weeks old.He said: "The doctor thought her head was a bit big and asked us to come back a week later."By that stage, her head had grown 3cm which for a baby that small is a hell of a lot. They sent her straight to hospital and from there we never came home again."They did operate on her and until then, they didn't know precisely what it was."She only just through the surgery but it got to the point the following day where she started having seizures. "The conversation was had that it would be kinder to let her go. We were told if she did get through it, she wouldn't have a good quality of life at all and no matter what it would have come back again."Gary said the family couldn't speak more highly of the care provided to Ivy at Sheffield Children's Hospital and then at Bluebell Wood.He said that with Bluebell Wood relying on fundraising to remain open, he and Alana have decided to start raising money for the hospice as a way of saying thank you for the support they received.He said: "It is horrible to think a place like that exists - there shouldn't be a place like that."We have both done fundraising in the past for Bluebell Wood and you what they do but until you unfortunately have to use that place, you don't realise how invaluable it is."They put us in a room and Ivy was on a lot of different medications. In the hospital, she had about 10 tubes but they condensed that down to all her medication being in one little syringe."That meant we could carry her around and cuddle her."Everybody down there is so nice. The staff couldn't do enough for you."It just gave us a last few hours in as normal circumstances as possible."No amount of money I could ever raise would ever be big enough."Her funeral is to take place tomorrow.To donate, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Gary-Morris18241.