This Mother Shared Her Wish Five Years After The Death Of Her Son

    This Mother's Day, Lucy Herd wants a new law to give grieving parents more time off work.

    This is Lucy Herd and her son, Jack, who died five years ago just before his second birthday.

    She has recorded a heartfelt video for Mother's Day explaining why she is petitioning the government to give grieving parents more bereavement leave.

    View this video on YouTube

    youtube.com

    "Hello, my name is Lucy Herd and I am Josh, Elle, Jack and Noah's mum."

    "In August 2010 my son Jack drowned in my garden pond just 2 weeks before his 2nd birthday."

    "My world crumbled on that day, and my heart broke into a million pieces."

    "I was sad for a very long time and still now nearly 5 years on I still have very sad days."

    "Did you know you can have up to 12 months off work for the birth of a child?

    "But only 3 days to grieve your child."

    "It seems very unfair doesn't it?"

    "90% of relationships break down after the death of a child."

    "I started a campaign in 2010."

    "To create better bereavement leave, so we can grieve properly for our children."

    "I'm asking David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg for your help."

    "Please extend and legislate bereavement leave for the death of a child to 4 weeks paid leave."

    "It's Mother's Day this weekend."

    "I will have 1 less child to wish me Happy Mother's Day."

    "I will always be Jack's Mummy. Even though he is no longer here."

    "Help mothers on this Mother's Day grieve for a longer time than 3 days."

    Herd's petition, with over 150,000 supporters so far, can be found here. It reads:

    While many good employers offer compassionate leave, there is no statutory right to leave and this campaign aims to introduce four weeks of paid bereavement leave for parents.

    In the immediate aftermath of the death parents have to cope with their own loss, the grief of their wider family, including other children, as well as a vast amount of administrative and other arrangements such as inquests and post mortems.

    A year off for the birth of a child and three days off for a child's death is an inhumane anomaly and I ask for your help to get this changed. David Cameron was able to take two weeks off after the death of his own son, but not all parents are this fortunate.

    Herd told BuzzFeed News why she decided to take action after the tragedy of losing her son.

    Of the three days she was entitled to for bereavement leave, Herd explained that "one had to be the funeral." Beyond that, "Any extra time is taken as holiday or sick leave. But my biggest argument is that grief isn't an illness and sadly some employers sack their employees for taking to much sick leave. That is why I feel that creating legislation would protect those vulnerable."

    So far she says she has had the support Lord Jim Knight of Weymouth and Tom Harris MP, among others. "My campaign has had lots of support," she said, "but it needs so much more."

    She says the support she has received from other bereaved families has been "overwhelming" because "all I want to do is help others."

    She also thinks she will eventually succeed in getting legislation, but that "it won't happen over night."

    "I have always said I need to create a positive in Jack's memory," she said. "He was my little ray of sunshine and now he is my shinning star."