Thanks very much for visiting Olivia's JustGiving page. 

Two weeks after Olivia was born, she was admitted to 's Childrens ward before being transferred to Alder Hey Intensive Care with heart problems.  In the space of about 12 hours, our world was shattered.

Following various scans and x-rays, the consultant confirmed that she had three different problems with her heart - one of them was working ok as it was but the other two needed operating on.  After staying on Intensive Care and the High Dependency wards for over a week, she had her open heart operation on the 8th June 2010.  Olivia was in the theatre for over 7 hours, which were the hardest of our lives as we had been told that she may not have survived it.  Thankfully she did and just 8 days after the operation, she was able to come home.  She is now doing really well and is starting to catch up on some of the weight she has lost and is also starting to smile which is lovely. 

We met some amazing people at Alder Hey, shed a lot of tears and obviously witnessed some really sad situations whilst there.  We owe so much to them - especially the surgeon who did the operation.  We were also very grateful to have a room in Ronald MacDonald house.  This allows parents to stay close to their children, completely free of charge, for as long as you need too.  Alder Hey just made a really horrible situation more bearable for us and those who came to visit Olivia. 

We are therefore trying to raise some money as a way to say thank you to Alder Hey.  We are very grateful that Cathryn's sister, Lisa Seddon, and our friend and Olivia's godfather, Ben Thompson, are doing the half marathon on the 3rd October to raise money for Alder Hey.  We are also arranging Olivia's christening and will be asking for donations to Alder Hey instead of presents for Olivia.  She has already had the greatest present she could ever have.  So we would be so grateful if you could donate whatever you can spare to Alder Hey.  They really are saving lives every day.

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 taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now - it really is a wonderful cause and Olivia would not have survived without them.

Thanks.

Cathryn, Carl, Phoebe and Olivia

 

ps. If you are a Tetra Pak employee, the company is going to match your donation !