A Queen’s University graduate has celebrated her success with her young son after the pain of losing another child.
Dr Natasha Kennedy attended her graduation for her PhD in English Literature this week with her son Torin.
It follows a painful journey for the family, with the death of another son, Lugh, in November 2019.
Born in April that year, he was named after the Irish sun god because of his fair hair and to wish him strength.
After 147 days in neonatal care, Lugh had been able to come home for two weeks before his health deteriorated rapidly.
“I found that my grief and love for Lugh became a vessel for channelling strength and perseverance - if I had to do...
Posted by Queen's University Belfast on Wednesday, December 11, 2024
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He was diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension, the result of two holes in his heart and underdeveloped lungs.
Passing away at eight months old, Natasha experienced another devastating loss within months after a missed miscarriage.
“Grief is suffocating, and you wonder how you will ever survive such an insurmountable loss,” she said after her graduation.
“It doesn’t get easier, but you become more adept at managing it.
“I wouldn’t be here today without the incredible support of my supervisor, Dr Caroline Sumpter, and the flexibility of Queen’s. My thesis should have taken four years, but it took almost seven.
“It was a tough journey, but I did it.”
Just months before submitting her thesis, Natasha discovered she was pregnant again.
Passing the viva (oral examination) of her PhD at 18 weeks, she gave birth to Torin in July this year - deferring her graduation so he could join her at Wednesday’s ceremony.
In choosing to speak out about grief and loss, she said: “It was only through speaking to people, strangers and friends, that I realised how many had experienced baby and infant loss.
“Grief can feel isolating, but it’s important to talk about it and remember those we’ve lost.”
Working as a senior library assistant at Special Collections and Archives at Queen’s, she plans to focus on motherhood before eventually publishing her thesis.
