Legacy Matters
Her mum would have loved her so much: Tearful words of man whose baby was born two days after wife died.
Two days after Jayne Soliman was declared brain-dead, her grieving husband saw her life-support machine turned off.
In a moment of unbelievable poignancy, he was then given their baby daughter to hold for the first time.
Doctors had kept 41-year-old Mrs Soliman's heart beating after she suffered a brain haemorrhage.
For 48 hours they pumped large doses of steroids into her body to help the baby's lungs develop.
Then they delivered baby Aya Jayne by caesarean section. At 26 weeks, she weighed just 2lb 11/2oz.
The tiny infant was placed on her mother's shoulder for a moment before being handed to her father, Mahmoud Soliman.
Jayne Soliman was a professional ice skater who collapsed in her bedroom after complaining of a headache.
Doctors told Mr Soliman and Mr Phillips that Mrs Soliman had suffered from a haemorrhage caused by an aggressive tumour that had hit a major blood vessel.
Mr Phillips said: “Jayne and I had both been at the ice rink in Bracknell that day and she was absolutely fine – nothing seemed wrong.
“She was as happy as she could be because she was pregnant – it was her dream.”