In the midst of their grief, the Smout family is looking to give back to the hospice, Claire House, that helped them celebrate the far too short time they got to spend with their newest family member. Lennon Smout was born in June 2018 to a family already prepared that they might not have long with him.
When Jessica Smout went for her 12-week scan, the doctors flagged that something was wrong and her son would be born with a “potentially life-threatening” condition. Hearing the statistics of her son’s survival rate was “heart-wrenching” the 31-year-old recalled.
Lennon was born with a defect of the diaphragm known as congenital diaphragmatic hernia, a condition affecting one in 5,000 babies in the UK which essentially sees the diaphragm failing to separate the abdominal organs from the thoracic cavity where the lungs and heart are situated. While it is possible for babies to survive with surgery, severe CDH can cause miscarriage or still birth.
Callum Broad, Lennon’s uncle, told the Liverpool Echo: “When my sister went for her 12-week scan they were told there was an abnormality. We didn’t know what it was but we knew he was going to be poorly, whether it was a syndrome or something else. Lennon was born and he spent his whole life in Alder Hey (Children’s Hospital).”
During the six months of Lennon’s life, Jessica and her husband Chris as well as her mum moved into the hospital to be by his side for as long as they could. Callum would also spend every weekend with his nephew adding that although sometimes things seemingly took a turn for the better, the family already knew “there wasn’t going to be a cure or a fix for Lennon”.
Moving their newborn to a hospice was a devastating experience for Jessica and Chris, but Callum highlighted how support workers from the hospice had been visiting them throughout the ordeal and the grieving uncle dubbed the move “the best decision we ever made”. He gushed: “There were specialist nurse consultants who supported us in processing and understanding Lennon’s diagnosis and play specialists who helped us to engage with Lennon, by reading books to him, playing with sensory light toys, which he loved, and making lifelong memories, alongside lots of personalised memorabilia, which we are now left with to treasure.”
Lennon ultimately took his last breath in his mother’s arms in December 2018, at Claire House. But this didn’t stop the hospice’s support as Callum revealed the family is receiving their bereavement services as he emotionally admitted: “I couldn’t imagine where we’d be right now without the love, guidance, care and support they’ve given and continue to give us…They’ve supported my family for the last six years.”
Putting his money, or rather his dancing shoes, where his mouth is, Callum competed in the Strictly Come Dancing’s fundraiser last month where he took home the lauded Glitterball trophy for Claire House. He danced the American Smooth Waltz with professional Samantha Jones in support of counselling, bereaved mum, dad and sibling support groups, and events like Memory Day, in memory of his nephew.