# Parents Spend Days Cradling Daughter in Special Cooling Suite

> Parents Esme and James spent days holding their daughter Cecelia in a special care after death suite after she died from a rare chromosome disorder.

- Publisher: Briefzora (https://briefzora.com)
- URL: https://briefzora.com/parents-spend-days-cradling-daughter-in-special-cooling-suite
- Published: 2026-11-05T13:43:51+05:00
- Author: Briefzora Desk (https://briefzora.com/author/briefzora-desk)
- Section: Health
- Topics: Sun Club, Children parenting and family life, Health warnings
- Image: https://briefzora.com/uploads/2026/11/we-spent-days-cradling-our-daughters-body-reading-her-stories-sayi-rxz4ra.webp

## Key points

- Cecelia Westmoreland died at three weeks past her first birthday from a rare chromosome disorder.
- Her parents spent over two days with her in a Care After Death suite at Martin House Children Hospice.
- Dr Michelle Hills states that thousands of grieving families miss out on help due to the stigma around children hospices.
- Cecelia was diagnosed at six weeks old with 1.P36, which caused up to 100 seizures a day.

## Why it matters

Grieving parents can use care after death suites to spend up to five days with their deceased children, helping them adjust to their loss and say goodbye calmly.

## Article

Esme and James Westmoreland spent days cradling their daughter Cecelia in a specialized care after death suite after she died at three weeks past her first birthday from a rare chromosome disorder. They gave her a cuddle, read a bedtime story, tucked her into bed, and kissed her forehead before saying goodbye in the cold room.

## How Care After Death Suites Work

Care after death suites usually feature a living room with a television and sofa beds, basic catering facilities, and a separate cooled bedroom kept at a fridge-like temperature. The mattress includes additional cooling technology while staff handle practical care, giving families time to make memories and arrangements. Pilot James first toured one of these spaces seven months before Cecelia died, noting it felt cold like a fridge, while Esme described it as a cold bedroom where only a jumper was needed.

## Raising Awareness of Children Palliative Care

Dr Michelle Hills, Chief Medical Officer at Martin House Children Palliative Care near Leeds, states that thousands of grieving families miss out on vital help due to the stigma surrounding children hospices. Dr Hills wrote a book titled The Wrong Order of Things to change perceptions and encourage struggling parents to ask for assistance. Esme initially felt reluctant to ask for help after Cecelia was diagnosed with 1.P36 deletion syndrome at six weeks old, a disorder causing up to 100 seizures a day.

## Remembering Cecelia

Martin House Children Palliative Care, which counts Sir Gareth Southgate among its ambassadors, provided respite stays that allowed Esme and James to focus on being parents rather than medics. Cecelia passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 23, 2020, and was taken to the hospice Snowflake Suite for over two days. The family now speaks openly about their daughter with their other children, Albert and Audrey.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a care after death suite?

It is a specially cooled bedroom in a hospice where grieving parents can spend up to five days living with their deceased child.

### What caused Cecelia Westmoreland death?

She died from a rare chromosome disorder called 1.P36 deletion syndrome.


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