Rotherham couple’s charity walk in honour of lost twin

Cody Mellor and Dean Middleton were thrilled to find out they were expecting twins after years of fertility treatment, but their joy turned to devastation when at 33 weeks one of the babies’ hearts stopped beating.

The couple, from Rotherham, had been trying for a child for five years, after Cody had suffered with polycystic ovary syndrome.

But, while on the waiting list to start IVF treatment, Cody fell pregnant in 2025.

When they were later told they were expecting identical twins, she said it was “everything we ever dreamed of”.

However, on 14 January, during a routine scan the couple were told one of the babies’ hearts had stopped beating, bringing their “whole world came crashing down”.

“It was completely out of the blue, a real shock to the system,” Cody said.

“Just one of those things where we just had no clue at the time what had happened [to Halle], why it had happened, and whether Phoebe was going to be OK.”

Following the devastating news about Halle the couple were transferred to the Snowdrop Suite at Rotherham Hospital, a charity-funded suite to support families dealing with the loss of a baby.

Both Halle and her sister Phoebe were born via caesarean section on 22 January.

“It was such a bittersweet moment,” Cody said.

“We were overjoyed to have Phoebe safely with us, but at the same time we were grieving the loss of our beautiful Halle.”

She said to have the use of the Snowdrop Suite for a week before and after she went into labour was “an absolute lifeline”.

“We are eternally grateful to the maternity team, and especially Rachel and Natalie, midwives on the ward, who went above and beyond for our family,” she said.

“Whether it was coming in early to make sure they could be there for my caesarean section or helping ensure the girls could spend precious time together once Phoebe was off oxygen, their compassion meant everything to us.

“Those moments together in the Snowdrop Suite are memories that we will treasure forever.”