Hello friends…….. most of you that know me and my family will be aware that just over six years now, our eldest daughter Katie had a little girl, Hollie…..who was born with a condition called Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. This basically means that her diaphragm didn’t form properly leaving a small hole. As she grew to full term, her stomach and part of her bowel moved up through the hole into the lung space and her lungs were not able to grow to full size. Hollie was born at Heartlands hospital and although it was hard to see her in the neonatal unit, it was amazing to see the care and constant monitoring that the doctors and nurses provide. Thanks to the close monitoring during the pregnancy, we knew that Hollie would need to be transferred to the Birmingham Children’s Hospital to have an operation as soon as she was stable, in order to bring her organs into the correct position and place a patch over the hole to prevent them coming back through. I am very glad to say that other than a re herniation at 3 months she has not had any problems since and today you would never know as she jumps around just like any kid of her age. But this was all down to the fantastic help, support and expertise of the doctors and nurses of the Neo Natal unit at Heartlands and the Birmingham Children’s Hospital. The reason that I am telling you this now is that I am a Freemason and I had always promised that when I became Master of my Lodge that my chosen charity for that year would be The Newborns in Need Appeal at Heartlands hospital.

We have raised some funds already but we have a target in mind that we would like to meet by the end of the year……£5000.....we have done this through having a Garden Party, quiz nights etc and I will be putting on our Masonic Ladies Night on the 28th November 2017 which will be held at Nailscote Hall In Berkswell. So with your continued help and support this year to help us raise as much money as I can, to say not only thank you to the hospital on behalf of Hollie but also to help all of the other little kids that may struggle in their early life……….here’s why they need your support……

Newborns in Need is a fund within the Heart of England Charity which supports some of the most vulnerable and poorly babies at our Hospitals. Each year Good Hope and Heartlands Hospital care for over 1,000 babies, some of whom are born more than four months early and weigh as little as one pound. An average of one in ten babies born in the Trust needs the support of our neonatal units, and as we provide the highest level of care for the most premature and most sick babies, the units also take babies from across the whole region.

The neonatal units provide 24 hour care using dedicated breathing machines, incubators, and sophisticated monitoring equipment As the techniques in medical care advance, more and more of our babies survive and enjoy a better chance in life. The Charity’s aim is to match these advances with financial support beyond the limits of NHS funding to ensure the very latest equipment is available for the patients who need it most

Many thanks....xxx