Hello! Thank you for looking at my just giving page, I have decided to run four 10k runs, one each season in the year of my 40th. This wont be an easy challenge as I only started running in October.

I am raising money for Liverpool Women's Hospital who saved my daughters life.  Their charity relies heavily on donations and I am hoping to contribute so they can continue to help families like mine. I'd also like to take this chance to raise awareness of our story.

Whilst pregnant I was unknowingly exposed to Slapped Cheek (Parvovirus). 
It's a very common virus and is transmitted easily, particularly if you are around young children. I didn't feel unwell and had no symptoms.  

My 20 week scan at The Countess of Chester hospital showed the baby was hydropic, meaning there was water around its organs, it later tested positive for Parvovirus. 

The baby had developed severe anaemia as a result of the infection, which meant the treatment was an intravenous fetal blood transfusion at Liverpool Women's hospital. This was carried out by Doctor Agarwal and Professor Alfirevic. 

I watched as the needle went through my bump and a serum packed with red blood cells replaced my baby's blood. 

I found out she was a girl.

Her haemoglobin count was 1.2gm%  which was the lowest they had ever seen, she was gravely ill. This procedure was carried out on a Friday and we were told she was extremely unlikely to survive the weekend . This intervention saved her life.

The compassion and consideration we received that day was unforgettable.  

Thankfully the transfusion began to work and improve her critical state. Over the following 18 weeks we received an enormous amount of care, I had almost daily visits to the day unit for monitoring (and tea & biscuits!) and frequent appointments with the amazing Jill Ellis in fetal medicine at the Countess of Chester, who helped me face each day not knowing if my baby would be able to recover.

This isn't a harmless childhood virus, if you think you may have been exposed, tell your midwife straight away and they will treat any issues quickly.

At Liverpool Women's we were also under the care of Dr Lim because of a suspected heart defect with a 6-7/10 severity (which would require heart surgery at 6 weeks old) and we also had a fetal MRI scan and complex testing at Alder Hey to see if the severe anaemia and lack of oxygen had caused any lasting brain abnormalities.

We were finally told  when I was 36 weeks pregnant that the pregnancy was viable

Clara Victoria arrived on the 15th November, The name Clara means light and Victoria means victory. 

Clara is now a very healthy 4 year old with no medical conditions. I’ll be eternally grateful to the team at Liverpool Women's hospital, the Countess of Chester & Alder Hey.

The Liverpool women's hospital charity helps support families
during complicated pregnancies, funds research into fetal medicine & genetics and helps fund neonatal care for critically ill babies.

This team of specialists are with families at the darkest of
times, and their support and care is impossible to measure.

**If you are unable to donate I completely understand, but
please spread the knowledge that Slapped Cheek can be very dangerous in pregnancy **

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.