Melton mum's daring abseil in memory of her baby girl

Claire Fox steeled herself to descend 212ft down the tallest building in Derby to raise more than £750 for Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People.

Rainbows gave her invaluable support in the final weeks of daughter Luna’s life after she became seriously ill.

Luna was just 10-months-old when she sadly passed away in Claire’s arms in November 2022.

After reaching the ground during her abseil, Claire said: “I didn’t think I was going to do it, but I just thought of Luna and how brave she was in her life and how I was abseiling in memory of her.

"I just wanted her to look down and be proud of me.”

Luna Hope Abbot was born at 26-weeks-old and developed a life-threatening bowel condition.

Weighing a tiny 1lb and 11oz, she was faced with major surgery.

Luna had to have a little stoma bag before she developed sepsis, gained a lot of fluid and doubled in size.

A scan revealed she had Pulmonary Vein Stenosis, a rare condition in which the veins that carry blood from the lungs back to the heart are narrowed. Claire was told it was extremely rare and there was no cure.

Taking Luna to Rainbows in August 2022 was incredibly comforting for Claire at a distressing time.

“Rainbows was absolutely amazing,” she said.

“We made lots of memories there, we played in the Multisensory Room, we played in Soft Play and we had massages.

"We also made casts of Luna’s hands and feet for keepsakes.

“We even went swimming in the Hydrotherapy Pool, which is something I never thought we would be able to do. We were just living every day like a normal family, doing very normal things.”

After spending eight weeks at Rainbows, Claire was told she could take Luna home although they continued to visit the hospice every week.

“One day, at Rainbows, Luna wasn’t herself and was quite floppy,” recalled Claire.

"She was given pain relief, and she passed away in my arms.

“After that, Rainbows still cared for us. I spent so much time with Luna, right up until her funeral as she was in a special Cuddle Cot.”

She added: “Everything that Rainbows did for Luna and me was critical to my grieving process.

"I don’t know how I would have got through that if I couldn’t have been with her every day.”

Claire has vowed to raise money for Rainbows for the rest of her life.

Reflecting on her fundraising abseil, which came after she climbed 189 steps to the top of the city’s tallest building, she said: “The abseil was completely out of my comfort zone and I was so scared but I was also so proud and know Luna would be proud.

“I wanted to honour her memory and help Rainbows.”

The hospice charity supports over 750 babies, children and young people with terminal and serious illness from across the East Midlands, including Leicestershire.

Click HERE to pledge money to Claire’s fundraising efforts for Rainbows.