Hello, my name is Deby I would like to introduce to you, my son David and his fiancee Karen’s new additions to our family, my granddaughters Alanni and Isla.

Unfortunately they were born very early at 25 weeks gestation on the 19th January 2018 at the Royal Stoke University Hospital.

They are now 7 weeks old and in this short space of time they have suffered many problems, from hole in the duct of the heart (PDA),chronic lung disease, barious bleeds on the brain, gut infection (NEC) problems with ventilation/breathing.

It was very touch and go and were told by the consultants, that they were the the most sick that they had seen of that gestation.

Isla was diagnosed with hydrocephalus (fluid on the brain) they performed a lumber puncture which was unsuccessful. She then had to go on to be treated with ventricle taps, which meant she had to have needle inserted into her brain to release the fluid.

The consultant said she would have to go to Alder hey Liverpool to have a temporary shunt put in place.

This meant their family being split up and being in two different locations. It was then decided it would be easier for Alanni to be transferred to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford where other family members could visit her.

Isla had her shunt fitted in Liverpool and was then transferred to Telford.

The family was reunited for a very brief period,before finding out that Isla had an infection and very poorly and needed transferring back to Alder Hey Liverpool for investigation and possible removal of the shunt due to the infection.

After arriving at liverpool they did a C.T scan and found they had to remove the shunt and have another procedure where a broviac line was put in for the antibiotics.

The neuro surgeon said the next 24/48 hours were going to be critical.

The antibiotics have started to get the infection under control,and the infection was a nasty one and could of caused fatality.

Isla is still presently very poorly and not out the woods.

Both my son and Karen have stayed by the girls bedside since they were born and have not given up hope and have shown strength and courage and most of all love for the girls and each other and I think I speak for both sets of parents that we are so proud of them both.

They are both off work, longer and sooner than they both planned. being far from home, they are struggling emotionally and financially due to the girls coming sooner than expected and has meant time off work with reduced pay causing stress, anxiety and worry about how they are going to cope and make ends meet

in an already fraught situation.

If we can lighten the load in any way this would make their lives a little less stressful and take some pressure away, so they can get back on there feet.

I will keep you updated in weeks to come, and post updated pictures as I get them.

Thank you for reading my story,on my two little fighters,and may they carry on and get better so they can all go home together.