In memory of my great niece, myself and her mum have organised "Footsteps for Indi - Faith" A 10 mile walk in her memory.

I shall be raising funds for Chestnut Tree House Childrens Hospice, where Indi- Faith spent her last few days.

Chestnut Tree House is the only childrens hospice in sussex and cares for children and young adults 0-25 yrs with progessive and life limiting conditions. It costs 2.5 million a year to run and families are never charged for their care, less than 8p in every pound is funded by the goverment so they rely heavily on the generosity, help and support of the people of sussex.

 

Indi- Faith was able to share some happy memories with her mummy and daddy here, a home from home and quality time to spend as a family.

Here, follows Indi- Faith's story,

 

Indi - Faith was born with a very rare condition of Megasystic Hydrophronasis Intestinal Syndrone.

Arriving into the world six and half weeks early, she spent 11 weeks fighting her condition at the Neonatel Intensive Care Unit at Princess Anne Hospital Southampton. She was extremely poorly in her first week. On a ventilator, doctors informed shona and sam that she may not make it through. All Indi- Faith's parents could do was sit by her incubator, hoping and praying that she would pull through. After 5 day's Indi- Faith came of her ventilator onto high oxygen which was a massive step, amazing the doctors with her progress.

After eleven days had passed Shona and Sam finally got to hold their beautiful baby girl, a special moment that had been long waited for. A few weeks went by and Indi- Faith got moved from Intensive Care to High Care, where they put her on low oxygen and she slowly came of it. Everyone was so proud at how far she had come, defying doctors and staying such a strong princess.

She had three blood transfusions and two operations in these early weeks.On her first operation she became very poorly again and developed an infection, in turn she stopped breathing and was placed back on a ventilator.

At eight weeks old, Indi- Faith's parents were called to a meeting with doctors, she had been through so much already, that doctors revealed there was nothing more that they could do for her. After a second opinion from Great Ormond street, it was decided that Indi- Faith would come home within two weeks to spend quality time with her family and create some wonderful memories.

Throughout the two weeks of organisation, Shona and Sam had to learn a great deal on how to care for Indi- Faith at home,but with the support of community nurses, family and friends surrounding them. Preparing everything ready. Indi- Faith came home on the 18th of january, heavy snow had fallen and over the next four days  she had endless visits from family and friends all eager and waiting to have a cuddle. After the snow had cleared Indi- Faith enjoyed her first trip out in her buggy to have lunch with her mummy and daddy, on the sunday she enjoyed her first family photo shoot, looking stunning in her new dress producing lots of cheeky smiles for the camera!

On tuesday 29th January it became clear that Indi-Faith was becoming more poorly and it was time for her visit Chestnut Tree House Childrens Hospice, where they could stay as a family and enjoy many activities together. Shona and Sam went to to Chestnut Tree House on wednesday 30th, the following day, Indi- Faith shared a special moment with her mummy and daddy swimming in the hydrotheraphy pool to which she thoroughly enjoyed. This moment then created Indi- Faiths five minutes of fame when her father uploaded a picture of them both to a page on facebook, tattoo'd parents and it hit over 12 thousand likes! Time was also enjoyed in the multi- sensory room and more visits from family and friends.

Indi-Faith sadly passed away on friday the 1st february, just 2 months 27 days old. A beautiful princess who made such an impact of everyones lives. So strong and constantly fighting her condition  throughout, contented and happy, her character shining through. She made everyone so very proud. Indi- Faith will shine on forever, in our hearts and in our thoughts, a precious baby girl who has inspired everyone with her determination and strength. I am so very lucky to have spent the time i had with Indi- Faith and will treasure my cuddles, kisses and whispering songs to her forever. xxxx

Once again the care that Chestnut Tree House provide is amazing, not only do they support and care for familys, it allows parents to spend quality time with their children that have life limiting illnesses, either by spending the day at the hospice or staying in one of their  family rooms enjoying the number of activities avaliable. The hospice also provides bereavement and end of life care, allowing families to stay with their child after they have passed.

" Footsteps For Indi- Faith" A 10 mile walk will take place on the 19th may 2013. Our route is from southsea seafront to eastney point. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading Indi- Faith's story and for your donation to a remarkable charity that will help other children like Indi- Faith, facing progressive and life limiting illnesses. Together we can make a difference, create fantastic memories  for these children and familys and help them carry on the care and support they provide as they did with Indi- Faith.

 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.