On 19 October 2010 identical twin boys Samuel and Thomas Graefe joined our family, brothers to William, and 2 more naturally conceived miracle children for us after several years of miscarriages and failed IVF attempts.

My pregnancy had been very difficult as at 20 weeks I was diagnosed with Twin To Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS) which was a life threatening condition for both twins.

Mercifully they were born without incident at 5lb8 and 4lb2 and although they needed to be in special care for a few weeks because they were 6 weeks premature, they flew through it and were home by early November.

Just as we were settling into a new, albeit rather labour intensive, way of life things went seriously awry when Samuel, seemingly a well baby until this point, stopped breathing at home in our living room. Fortunately granny was able to give him the kiss of life though he stopped breathing for some 4 minutes and were it not for us being there, the prompt arrival of the rapid response paramedic and the swift transfer to Nevill Hall on oxygen there is no doubt he would not be here now. Samuel was then diagnosed with acute reflux and bronchiolitus and was very unwell for some weeks, with episodes of stopping breathing, and was in and out of the childrens ward until mid January.

During this period Thomas seemed fine until just before Christmas when he too suddenly became very unwell with Bronchiolitus. We found it very difficult having both of them in Nevill Hall, both on the children's ward but sometimes in separate rooms to avoid infecting each other, and the support of the consultants, doctors and nurses was incredible. They even allowed mum and I to have the odd tipple if medically necessary.

Just when we thought that we should be about to turn the corner, Thomas' condition worsened and we were told he had also got swine flu. The team did their best but ultimately oxygen was not enough and they simply did not have a CPAP machine that could be used on children and which could have helped him. Thomas therefore had to be transferred to the Heath in Cardiff for ventilation whilst granny stayed in Nevill Hall with Samuel. Thomas was on a ventilator on Cardiff for 17 long days and then returned to Nevill Hall, where we have resided for several weeks over recent months.

We are confident that they are both thriving now, and hope this winter will be kind. We owe a huge debt to many people which we are trying to repay, as much for their benefit as to ensure that anyone else in our position in the future is as fortunate as we have been. We have badgered the welsh ambulance service, the assembly and our local MP to ensure that Monmouthshire does retain its ambulance cover, which has been under threat.

We are now entering a team in the Cardiff half marathon on 16 October to raise money for Nevill Hall children's ward, our second home in recent months.

Specifically, we are hoping to raise enough money to enable them to buy a CPAP machine which is half way between an oxygen supply and full ventilation which may have helped Thomas and would certainly benefit other unwell babies and children, and hopefully avoid the need for a transfer to the Heath which is a traumatic and stressful process, albeit a necessary one.

The team is made up of the twins family (dad, uncle, cousins) and friends who have been so supportive during recent months. We would be really very grateful if you could dig as deep as possible to help our cause and raise much needed funds for the children's ward.

Many many thanks

Sophie

Any queries please contact me 

Sophie Graefe
1 Old Dixton Road
Monmouth
Sophie@thegraefes.co.uk

Or mum
Ursula Williams
Norwethel
Lower Road
St Briavels
01594 530247