Hi
I’m Dave better known as Kerry’s other half, thanks you to all of you who have posted pictures of you carrying your kids in an OCAH carrier, it meant so much to Kerry to see how much your kids liked to be carried in an OCAH.
As you may know Kerry was diagnosed with Breast cancer in April 2016, she went through a regime of chemotherapy, a mastectomy, and had her lymph nodes removed while continuing to produce the “odd” OCAH carrier. By January 2017 the doctors said she was clear. In May/June 2017 she stared having headaches which led us to Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI), where several brain tumours were found. I was told that she wouldn’t be coming out of hospital, but Kerry liked to confound people so having arrived at the LRI on the Sunday, we left on the following Saturday!
Once her radio therapy had been completed things seemed to get back to “normal”, for the Berry household, Kerry was slower getting around didn’t feel safe driving which left her frustrated but accepting of it. This continued through the summer including a holiday in Cromer, Abbie’s, and the Caety and Libby’s (the twins!) birthdays went passed, into autumn, Hannah’s birthday then Christmas. This did include two more brief stays at the LRI, but everything was stable.
Late January saw the return of the headaches and the progression of her illness, it included a short stay at the LRI, two weeks being stabilised in the local Hospice, and latterly in a nursing home. Kerry never wanted our four girls to see her condition getting worse.
Sadly, on April 7th at lunchtime Kerry died, peacefully in a local nursing home just 20 days before her 46th birthday
One of her last wishes includes the continuation of OCAH, as a living vibrant memory of her and her pleasure in creating high quality, unique beautiful carriers for people like you to carry their loved ones. A lasting memory for our four beautiful daughters of her creative genius and business acumen. To that end Kerry’s father (Harry) and I have created a limited company called OCAH International which will have as its assets sole access to the OCAH patterns, on line presence and web site. Harry and I are in discussions with people who recognise the OCAH brand as a high-quality product with a superb reputation, these people are interested in purchasing the company and continue with the brand that Kerry created from nothing to an internationally renowned Baby carrier producer.
Life without Kerry feels impossible for the five of us, but our lives continue, and we will not only survive but move forward and part of that journey will be watching future pictures of the rejuvenated OCAH carriers being used by you and others.
Just to reiterate the fact that Kerry loved looking at your pictures carrying your kids in an OCAH, so do please continue to post them in her memory.
Thank you,
Dave
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