Welcome to Sam's Walk, a 23 mile charity walk in aid of the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) of Hinchingbrooke Hospital and The Rosie Hospital, a Children's Hospital which forms part of the Adenbrookes University Hospitals in Cambridge.

Why Sams Walk? : A note from the parents of a very special boy:

 

Sam is our son. He was born 12 weeks early at Hinchingbrooke Hospital. The story is one of joy, whilst the journey itself was at times very sad. My wife Kaeron went into labour at 28 weeks, and things weren’t going to plan. Sam was breech and had a prolapsed cord, this was a real emergency C-section. Sam was born with little signs of life, Dr Nik Johnson and his team at Hinchingbrooke did their thing, they were able to get Sam to a stable enough condition that he could be transferred to NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) at The Rosie.

 

Early signs weren’t good, they tried to prepare us for the worst, that Sam wasn’t going to pull through. The expression "what a difference a week makes" had never been so true. He condition had changed, Sam spent some time on a ventilator before being changed to other breathing assistance which meant he did most of the breathing for himself. The team at NICU were amazing, the nursing staff were fully supportive of Sam and the family unit and for 6 weeks we felt part of the team.

 

The Doctors and consultants worked tirelessly to keep Sam on the up. A few things came up along the way including the bad news that Sam had suffered a level 4 brain bleed and had sustained some brain damage, he also developed hydrocephalus, meaning he was unable to deal with his Brain fluid effectively.

 

After 6 weeks we got the good news that Sam was doing well, and could return to the place of his birth. Luckily Hinchingbrooke had room, Sam was welcomed back as if he was one of their own. Our family Unit was easier to manage, our other son Tom was able to visit his brother more and eventually get his cuddles. My wife could spend her days there between school runs and I could get there easily after work for an evening shift and do a feed, relieving my wife and sometimes Tom who had come after school to check on his brother.

 

In all we had 12 weeks in hospital, 6 in each. We found great support from staff and from other parents for the rare situation we found ourselves. We discovered just how truly amazing friends and family are, how no request is too big. Then on his due date Sam came home. We returned from picking him up to discover our house decorated with banners and posters to welcome Sam home, truly amazing gesture.

 

We met many people along the way, some very brave parents and babies, unfortunately not all of Sams friends made it through and we were to see the pain we had been so fortunate to escape. Sam continues his journey, he has his shunts fitted to control his hydrocephalus , he has brain damage but at this moment in time it’s hard to tell if that means anything, he has a laugh to warm the coldest of hearts and he can do things we thought we would never see.

 

It is because of Sams journey the we have arranged the walk, an opportunity to raise some much needed funds to help the hospitals care for the babies and for the family units. To remember the baby soldiers, those that soldier on and those lost in the battle for life.

 

We are asking please to split your donations between the two charities as we were unable to set up a joint page for both.