After spending time in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with Eva I can’t imagine how hard it must be for families at the moment when social distancing means their support network can’t be physically by their side. 

Our Story 

Eva was born in June 2015 at Whittington hospital with CHARGE syndrome, a rare condition caused by a genetic disorder. This lead to her spending 6 weeks in NICU where she was cared for 24/7 until her condition stabilised  enough for her to go home. We were trained to tube feed and do other medical procedures so we could care for her at home until she grew big enough to undergo life saving heart surgery the following year.

The staff at NICU were amazing throughout Eva’s stay, not only in providing outstanding care but also with the support and kindness they gave me and Rick. I will be forever thankful as they saved Eva’s life on more than one occasion and gave us the strength and skills to thrive as new parents in circumstances we were not prepared for.

Unfortunately 8 weeks after taking Eva home we suddenly lost Rick. Our world turned upside down, but once again the support came and helped carry us through to this day. 

I started running pushing Eva a couple of weeks ago as part of our daily exercise routine. I can now run 5k and aim to run 10k in less than 1 hour by 17th May and hopefully raise some money. 

Whittington Babies is a charity that supports families and staff with babies in NICU. I can’t begin to imagine how hard it must be for them at the moment and want to try and do my bit to help those who helped us so much.

Any donation would be amazing. Thanks for taking the time to read our story and please spread the word. 

Stay safe, love Rachel and Eva xx