This site is a tribute to our gorgeous little boy Charlie. He is much loved and will always be remembered.

Charlie Robert Rendell was born on 18th April 2021 at 9:49am weighing 8lb 4oz. He arrived 2 days after his due date following a natural birth and a 30 hour labour. We didn’t know whether we were having a boy or a girl, and were delighted when we found out we had a new baby son. We named him Charlie Robert Rendell without hesitation.
 
He was such a gorgeous baby, with a shock of dark brown hair, the softest skin we’d ever felt, squashed ears and a hairy back! He had blonde eyebrows, and dark eyes. He seemed so observant, and would watch us intently as if he was calmly assessing us and the situation. A perfect nose, soft squidgy lips and a Swainsbury chin. Everyone commented on his long legs and long fingers, perhaps he would have been a pianist one day, a climber or a guitarist like his Dad. Everybody saw different family members in his face. Unfortunately none of our family got to meet Charlie in person, but they did meet him virtually over Facetime.
 
He took to feeding pretty quickly and was soon guzzling away, in fact Cheeky Charlie was captured on camera sticking his middle finger up at Dad as if saying ‘That’s my boob now!’ This was after doing a big poo all over Mum! He definitely made his presence known!
 
Charlie also had an incredibly calm nature, so content and so peaceful; when the other babies on the ward were screaming Charlie just quietly snuggled up on Mum and went to sleep.
 
Cuddles with the three of us were truly special. One memorable occasion was when all three of us snuggled up on the hospital bed. Charlie was so content sleeping on Dad’s chest, the love we felt for him was overwhelming, even if we did get told off by the midwife shortly after!
 
Charlie looked super cute in his first outfit, his little Bee Suit! We will now always think of Charlie when we see a little Bumble Bee, resting on a beautiful flower. Bumble Bees are so small yet so important, making such a huge impact to our planet, just like Charlie made a massive impact in so many people’s lives.
 
A big fan of music - while he was in Mummy’s tummy Charlie had kicked in time to Bruno Mars and danced around to Dad playing his guitar. The doctor doing Charlie’s medical checks commented on his musical ability as Charlie sang all the way through his hearing test! She had to pause the test until he’d finished his tune!
 
After staying one night in hospital Charlie passed all his medical checks with flying colours and we were able to go home. Heartbreakingly Charlie died while sleeping in his crib that evening, 19th April 2021.

We now know Charlie died of an extremely rare genetic defect called LCHAD. (Long Chain 3 Hydroxyacyl CoA Dehydrogenase Deficiency) He was unable to break down long chain fats leading to a build up of toxins in his body, which in turn caused an arrhythmia while he slept. We are devastated beyond words.
 
We would like to thank our family for dropping everything to be with us and support us through this difficult time. Thank you to everyone for all the love, kindness, messages and gifts. We are also incredibly thankful to our Bereavement Midwife, Community Midwife and the team at The Royal Surrey. Thank you also to the charity SANDS for their valuable resources and for guiding us through the initial months and to Teddy’s Wish for providing 12 weeks of bereavement counselling, an invaluable support to help us process and work through the trauma of Charlie’s death
 
We have found somewhere we will go in remembrance of Charlie. It is called Cucknell’s Wood (we have renamed it Charlie’s Wood.) It is a beautiful nature reserve, not known about by many people, always quiet and peaceful apart from the chorus of birdsong. We go there every April to see the Bluebells, it really is a sight to behold. We had every intention of taking Charlie there a few weeks after he was born, unfortunately we never got the chance. In memory of Charlie we planted a blossom tree and have found comfort in watching it grow and change throughout the seasons. Charlie’s wood is a place we will continue to go to remember our beloved son.
 
Charlie Robert Rendell – too perfect for this world.