“A ray of sunshine”: Catherine’s heartwarming visit to miracle baby
<p>A mother from West Sussex has recounted the experience of having Catherine, Princess of Wales, meet her young daughter Amaya-Rae. </p>
<p>When Amaya-Rae was born at only 23 weeks and classed as a “late miscarriage” in August 2021, her parents were left heartbroken. </p>
<p>Amaya-Rae had already beaten the odds by surviving what was described as a traumatic birth, but the family’s medical team didn’t have high hopes for the baby girl, advising her parents to say their goodbyes. </p>
<p>Over the course of 360 days in hospital, Amaya-Rae’s family were told on eight separate occasions that she was not going to make it, but she had other ideas. </p>
<p>“It’s nothing short of a miracle,” her mother, Mischa, said, “I’m not religious but I really do believe she has had someone watching over her, telling her it’s not her time to go yet, sending her back.</p>
<p>“At first, each time we were told to say goodbye to her, our world just crumbled.”</p>
<p>Amaya-Rae went on to prove her mum right and her doctors wrong, defying all of the odds in her fight to survive. Now, she is almost eighteen months old, and safe at home with her family. </p>
<p>Despite the heartbreak that came with their time in hospital, Amaya-Rae’s mum has opened up about one bright moment in the dark: a visit from Princess Catherine. </p>
<p>“When we were in the Evelina Children’s Hospital, we were totally stunned when Catherine, Princess of Wales, made an unexpected visit,” Mischa recalled. “Catherine was so lovely, she listened intently to Amaya’s story, and genuinely seemed so taken with her and asked such a lot of questions.</p>
<p>“She seemed totally besotted, complimenting her smiles and her outfit. Amaya couldn't take her eyes off her, she was transfixed. </p>
<p>“Someone suggested we take her to see a Disney Princess show at Christmas, but we joked she only deals with actual royalty now.”</p>
<p>Amaya-Rae’s need for specialist care saw her transferred to the Evelina London Children’s Hospital, where she stayed for 166 days before getting to go home. It was there, at the children’s hospital, that she came face-to-face with the real-life princess. </p>
<p>Catherine, who is the hospital’s patron, was there on the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee weekend. </p>
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<p>As Mischa explained, she was “with Amaya and her nurse came in and said we had someone who’d like to visit us. I was stunned when I realised who it was, I kept saying it couldn’t be her because it was the Jubilee weekend.” </p>
<p>The nurse, she said, told them that Catherine had come to visit the families who couldn’t be out celebrating, and that after being told about Amaya-Rae, she had requested to meet her. </p>
<p>“There were no press there, we didn’t see any bodyguards,” Mischa said of the meeting, “she just popped in to meet the children. She was so lovely.”</p>
<p>In an interview with the <em>Mirror</em>, Mischa added, “when the nurses told me she was in the hospital and wanted to meet Amaya-Rae, I completely panicked.”</p>
<p>“She was in her nappy. I ran around finding something presentable for her to wear. But as soon as Kate walked in through the door, all the nervousness disappeared."</p>
<p>After speaking on Catherine’s calming demeanour, and how Amaya-Rae was “transfixed” with the princess, Mischa reflected on their experience and the surprise introduction, saying, “there are some really dark days in a children's hospital, and for our family - and lots of others - there isn't much to look forward to. </p>
<p>“Everybody who met Kate said it gave them such a pick-me-up. She was a ray of sunshine in a really frightening time."</p>
<p>Mischa’s miracle, her ray of sunshine, is now home. Though Amaya-Rae will require oxygen for another few months, and faces some underlying conditions that Mischa hopes will be manageable and won’t hold Amaya-Rae back, she is happy to report that her daughter is just like anyone else her age. </p>
<p>“She is doing so well. She’s such a happy, chilled out little girl. You’d never know what she’s been through.”</p>
<p><em>Image: Instagram</em></p>
