THE life of a much-loved baby girl is being celebrated with a fundraising campaign in her memory.

Sofia Ormerod tragically died at only 10 weeks old, having been diagnosed with the rare Edward's Syndrome shortly after she was born. 

And now her family of Low Moresby - parents Carl and Carol, and siblings Grace, Reuben and Dominic - want to raise funds for the West Cumberland Hospital's Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) to thank its staff for treating Sofia "like a princess".

"When Sofia was born at the RVI in Newcastle in October 2013, we were told that she had a limited life expectancy," said mum Carol, who works at Lowca School. 

"However, she had different ideas and we began to discuss the options to transfer her home. To move to the West Cumberland Hospital (WCH), it was essential to have access to a piece of breathing equipment called a humicare."

The staff at Whitehaven had never had access to the machine so travelled to Newcastle to be trained ahead of the item being loaned to the WCH. 

"Sadly, Sofia deteriorated as a result of a severe bowel infection and we transferred her back to Whitehaven for what we expected to be the final hours of her life. The SCBU staff were brilliant; treating her like a princess and caring for our family in our darkest hour in every way possible.

"Sofia was a fighter, and despite numerous predictions that she was in her final hours, she fought on and ultimately was sent home with us. We didn't know what the outcome would be, but we gave her a normal life - taking her to visit Lowca School and even going shopping on her first day home.

"On December 18, Sofia began to experience respiratory problems and, despite all the efforts of staff at the WCH and the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, she fell asleep on December 20. Her final minutes were spent surrounded by friends and family, including the dedicated team from SCBU, who also supported us at her funeral."

It was at Sofia's funeral, Carol said, that her family decided to raise funds to support the SCBU's work.

The campaign has smashed its £2,000 target already, but the fundraising continues. The HSBC bank - where Carl is branch manager in Whitehaven - has vowed to match any funds raised. 

And a fundraising ball - Sparkles For Sofia - is held in The Seacote Hotel, St Bees, on Saturday (7pm) to mark the two-year anniversary of Sofia's arrival in Whitehaven's SCBU. Featuring music by the La'al Big Band and an auction, tickets are £25 (including  a buffet) from Carol on 07548946100. Or make a donation directly to the 'Sparkles for Sofia' account at the HSBC, or online at www.justgiving.com/carl-ormerod1.

Carol added: "We just hope we can raise awareness of the work that the SCBU is doing, and we pray that other families will have all the support they need."