A mum who was terrified of losing the last letter her husband ever wrote her, had it tattooed on her foot so she could keep it forever.
 
Melissa Lamb lost both her husband and their unborn child within 24 horrific hours.
 
Melissa’s solider husband Marin, known as Lamby, was only 27-years-old when he was killed by a bomb in Afghanistan in 2011.
 
Melissa was 11 weeks pregnant at the time, but tragically lost the baby soon after she learnt of Martin’s death.
 
The last letter Martin ever wrote Melissa reads, “I hope you know that all that goes through my mind is you, Rosie and bump. I’m always thinking of you all, miss all of you so much. I love you all always. Love you babes, love Lamby.”
 
Melissa, 28, whose daughter Rosie was just two at the time, said, “When he died I carried that letter in my pocket wherever I went. I couldn’t be without it. If I was sad or anxious I would take it out and read it over and over again until I felt calm, but it was getting worn and I was scared I would lose it. Now I have a permanent reminder of how much Lamby loved us.”
 
Martin had discovered he was to be a dad for a second time on his 27th birthday in April 2011, just six weeks before he was killed.
 
Afterwards, he immediately wrote a moving letter in which he said Melissa’s pregnancy was the “best birthday present” he could have wished for.
 
Melissa, who lives in Gloucester in the UK, said, “He loved Rosie so much and was so looking forward to being a dad again.”
 
The mum said she had a bad feeling in the days before a senior Army officer knocked on her door and said her husband of three years was dead.
 
She said, “I was screaming and crying and being sick and I turned around and Rosie was standing behind me. I will never forget the worried look on her face. I had to tell her that her Daddy had died and gone to heaven.
 
“Hours later I started bleeding and was taken into hospital where a scan revealed our baby was dead. He was due on Christmas Day so that’s a particularly hard time of the year.”
 
Melissa is rebuilding her life with the help of the charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers, which supports children who have lost a parent in the Armed Forces.
 
“Losing Lamby and my baby was utterly soul-destroying, but Scotty’s makes you realise that you are not alone and there are other families who have lost loved ones," said the mum.
 

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