Twin's stillbirth inspires grieving Stratford father's children's book

Warning: This story covers stillbirths and some people may find the details distressing

One date is etched into Richard Ganjavi's memory: 6 August 2024.

It was the day for the routine 34-week scan for the twins he was expecting with his wife, Naomi.

"The room went quiet. [The woman doing the scan] said the words that shattered everything: "I'm so sorry, there isn't a heartbeat."

Naomi and Richard were rushed from Stratford Hospital to Warwick Hospital but Bella was stillborn.

In the time since then, Bella's twin sister, Penny, who was born healthily, has just celebrated her second birthday.

In those two years, Richard said he processed his grief by writing a children's book, Whispers of a Purple Butterfly, inspired by his story.

The primary school teacher started writing within weeks of the loss of Bella.

"We had two cots upstairs, two seats in the car, a double pram. Two years on we could be walking down the street, and see someone with twins and every time it just gets you," he admitted.

The book is about Lucy, a fictional 10-year-old who is the surviving twin of a similar situation and aimed at eight to 12 year olds.

Richard, who lives in Meon Vale, near Stratford-upon-Avon, said the process was "a way of getting it down and out of my head".

But the novel has since taken on a larger meaning for the family with Richard reading it to Penny, so she has something when she is old enough to understand, "to know that she will always be enough".

The reaction from those who have read the book had blown Richard away, he admitted.

"I've had so many messages from bereaved parents, people who've lost a family member or a close friend," he said.

"They've all said, after reading the book, 'wow, where was it when I needed it'."

He hoped charities, teachers and therapists could use the book to help those dealing with the loss of a baby.

The stillbirth rate for England and Wales in 2024 was 3.9 per 1,000 total births, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Holly Hawkesford is a midwife at Warwick Hospital and her son, Jasper, died seven hours after he was born in 2014.

Alongside her job, she now runs a charity, Jasper's Rainbow, and, like Richard, wrote a book about her experience.

She hoped to work with him to raise awareness of baby loss: "Books are a mirror and a window.

"People who've been through a similar experience need to see that mirrored back, and then people who haven't need a window into what it's like."

Richard and Naomi make regular visits to the hospital's Rainbow Garden, where Bella has a glass leaf in her memory.

They have become friends with nurses and midwives at the special care baby unit who looked after Penny as well as them, after the loss of Bella.

Two of the midwives went on to become Penny's godmothers.

"We've really built a relationship with Richard and Naomi, and it's really lovely to see them coming back," Lead nurse Bettina Powell said.

"It's really important...to remember the loss of Bella."

"It's been so lovely watching Penny grow, seeing how they navigate everything and all the things they've done," neonatal nurse Teri added.

"It's been so lovely feeling part of their journey."

Richard said he wanted his book be become a lasting legacy for Bella

"We are so proud of Penny but we're also proud of Bella. When we talk about her, we say her name with pride," he said.

"The grief doesn't go away, but the world around our grief has got bigger."

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