Death is possibly the most heartbreaking thing that humans have to experience. But what if it was your child who died? That’s exactly what occurred to Jo Corbett-Weeks. She couldn’t coddle and adore her baby, Max Corbett-Gardener, and see him develop as she had hoped. When her son was just four years old, the mother had to see his death and perform the most difficult thing – attend his burial.
It took her years to recover from the grief of losing a child. And, a few years ago, she expressed that it had taken her three years to plan for a headstone where Max is buried.
She explained that it would have been his seventh birthday on Sunday and this was like a birthday gift from her to him. She picked a star-shaped stone as she wanted to give Max something special. This stone is absolutely right for her little guy.
The headstone was custom-made to commemorate Max’s life, despite how brief it was. She felt it was the proper thing to do for her son, who suffered from severe epilepsy and its catastrophic consequences.
Jo saved up £3,000 for her son’s personal monument, which featured a teddy bear holding a star and a loving inscription devoted to her son.
Although the mother found consolation in commemorating her son’s life and celebrated his 7th birthday in a particular way, that comfort was quickly ripped away from her. The monument was removed barely three days after it was placed beside Max’s grave at Worcestershire’s Great Malvern Cemetery.
She stated that it just took one objection from another family to do so without even consulting Jo. This was completely unknown to her. The council never contacted her, and it was the stonemason who informed her that he had been instructed to remove it.
The anguish of losing a baby is indescribable, and each family finds their own way to cope. It was the headstone for Jo and her family. However that was taken away from them since it was deemed incompatible with the rest of the cemetery.
Jo expressed she is agitated, upset, and irritated. As a family, they have been through a lot. She might understand if the burial was neglected or unattractive, but it isn’t. The headstone meant a lot to her and her family, and they are currently battling to have it restored. It’s a dreadful scenario. They just want a safe place to cry.
Max was buried in the grownup portion of the cemetery as Jo wanted him to be among other family members. The Malvern Town Council, which manages the cemetery, stated that the headstone would have been permitted if it had been placed in the children’s area.
A spokesperson for the committee claimed that they have shape uniformity in their grass cemetery. Individuals who were offended by the shape contacted them. The longer it was up, the more difficult the procedure would have been. It was a tough choice to eliminate it, but it was one that had to be made right quickly.
The council thought that removing the monument was the only way to comply with cemetery laws. The officials continued that it wasn’t so much a problem to the shape as it was why they looked to be applying one rule to one family and another to another.
The stonemason in this case did not have authorization to place the stone, and the stone does not match the tombs in the neighborhood. He has caused significant pain to both families by failing to follow the proper procedure. On change.org, a petition to reinstall Max’s monument received 60,185 signatures.
Unfortunately disaster struck Jo again when she lost her oldest daughter, Zoe, not long after losing Max. Zoe was 17 years old when she died in a car accident in 2016. Jo progresses forward for her child, TJ, the second of her three children. Jo shared a photo of her children’s graves in 2018, writing, “Two new white crosses for my two beautiful children.. Miss them so much xxxxxxxxxxxx”
Two new white crosses for my two beautiful children.. Miss them so much xxxxxxxxxxxx
Posted by Jo Corbett on Tuesday, 29 May 2018
Jo might not have gotten the star-shaped monument she had envisioned. However, she and her son TJ were able to place memorial stones for both of her children, Zoe and Max.
On social media, she stated, so today they finally placed Zo’s memorial stone among her brothers. Something she wanted to accomplish for a long time. But they’ve finally finished. It’s been an emotional journey, but she is proud of herself and TJ. They are always on her mind and will be for the rest of her life. She adores them with all her heart.
So today we have finally put Zoë memorial stone with her brothers… Something I have wanted and needed to do for…
Posted by Jo Corbett on Thursday, 26 July 2018
