We are raising money for our dear friends Anna Savchenko-Sapia and her husband Giovanni, who welcomed quadruplets (2 sets of identical twins) into the world on 16 Dec 2016.

The quads (Melina, Mia, Peppe and Gionni Jr) arrived dramatically at 27(+4) weeks. As anyone who has ever had a premature baby will know, it can be a very difficult time. To welcome four precious, tiny babies so early and all at once is almost unimaginable.

We want to raise enough money to support the cost of the family’s living expenses while the babies are in hospital (they are at Addenbrooke's in Cambridge & will remain there for some time) so that Anna & Giovanni can concentrate solely on the welfare of their babies.

No special grants or government funding is provided for families with multiple babies and obviously the cost of raising multiples is extremely high. We also hope that any funding we raise might help Anna and Giovanni along the next step of their journey; when in a few months they will finally be able to bring their babies home.

Anna is a fantastically positive, strong, caring person and has been our much loved nanny for the past few years. When Anna and her husband Giovanni decided to start a family of their own, little did they know the journey that lay ahead of them!

Although the odds of having a multiple pregnancy with fertility treatment are increased, the chances of having quadruplets, specifically two sets of identical twins, are only 1 in 70 million.

Anna endured a difficult pregnancy but throughout she always remained positive and she continues with her optimistic outlook. Despite the tiniest baby Mia (born weighing 420g) being in a very critical condition at times, and Melina, Gionni Jr and Peppe (born weighing between 910g and 1,100g) all being treated for various health problems associated with preterm birth, the babies are little fighters and growing stronger day by day.

Thank you for any support that you can give to Anna and her family.