Woman Whose Partner Died on Day of C-Section Says Daughter’s First Steps and Birthday Were 'Bittersweet'

Rebecca Moss, whose partner Thomas Gibson died in his sleep, tells PEOPLE it's "heartbreaking" he's not there for their daughter's first milestones

Rebecca Moss, the English woman whose partner Thomas Gibson died in his sleep the day she was scheduled to have a cesarean section, is opening up about her daughter’s life without her father.

Moss found Gibson, 40, early in the morning on June 7, 2023, after he experienced cardiac arrest while sleeping on the couch. Moss gave birth to their daughter Harper later that day.

The Greater Mancherster resident tells PEOPLE that when Harper took her first steps, she wound up walking toward a memory board Moss’ sister made for Gibson’s wake.

“That was nice, but also heartbreaking at the same time because he's not there to see her have that first amazing milestone,” she explains.

Related: Woman Whose Partner Died on Her C-Section Day Says 'Worst Nightmare' Was to Hear It Could Have Been Prevented

Harper’s first birthday was also a “bittersweet” occasion, but her mom made sure to make it a special day for her daughter.

"It's her birthday, it's the only one she's got, it's the day to celebrate her,” Moss says. “We decided we'll think about Tom on his birthday, which is in April, rather than on the same day. Her birthday should be a happy time, and something for her to celebrate.”

Related: Father-to-Be's Death on Morning of Partner's C-Section Was Preventable: Reports

Gibson died 11 days after he went to Wythenshawe Hospital's Accident and Emergency department on May 27 with symptoms of a severe stomach bug he had experienced for around three weeks.

But Gibson was told to leave and return in a week if the symptoms had not subsided. An inquest at Stockport Coroner's Court heard on June 4 and 5 that a doctor had misinterpreted the late father’s electrocardiogram (ECG) scan.

“It was my worst nightmare,” Moss tells PEOPLE, recalling the moment she heard the assessment come out in court. Still, she was relieved to finally understand what happened that day.

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"For me, that was really important to get that closure because that's the only way really I can now put that to bed," she explains. "I now know in my head what happened, or what rather didn't happen."

Gibson was looking forward to the day of his daughter’s birth, too. "He was just so excited and obviously he never got to meet her," Moss says.

Over a year later, Moss says it's still hard for her to fully grasp the sudden loss of her partner. "I don't think it'll ever really truly sink in that one minute he was here, and one minute he's not,” she says.

For Father’s Day, Moss says she and her daughter Harper planned to visit the cemetery where Gibson is buried with a card the young girl made at nursery for him. She adds, "[I’m] trying to make it as normal as possible."

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