Grieving dad's tribute to his baby girl is truly inspirational

Richard Atkinson lost his daughter when she was juts seven hours hour.

Born at 26 weeks on 26th May 2014, baby Ava Helene Atkinson suffered from a number of health issues, including a bleed on the brain.

Shortly after birth, the newborn was put on a ventilator to help her breathe; a few hours later, her condition deteriorated and the family decided to withdraw treatment. 

The Atkinson family were given a keepsake box by a charity to store all their memories of Ava in, something that gave them great comfort. 

So, in a bid to keep their daughter's memory alive, Richard and his ife Adele decided to set up Baby Ava's Support Foundation, a charity that supplies memory boxes to parents who have lost a child.

The father-of-two also wants to give dads in particular as much support as he can, something he feels he didn't receive much of following the death of Ava. 

Talking to HuffPost UK  about how death can affect dads, he said: "As much as I cannot imagine what pain and emotions a mother must feel and go through from carrying and giving birth to an angel, I feel that us as fathers are seen as the ‘protector’, the person to hold the family together and offer support to everyone.

“Yet, I have spoke to numerous fathers who have said no one asked how they are feeling. We suffer as parents, too.

“I feel passionately that fathers – and siblings – should be supported as they often get forgotten.”

And while Richard and Adele have experienced every parent's worst nightmare, their ability to bring comfort to others going through the same thing is truly inspirational.