Vikki Atherton

Vikki's Race or Ruby

Fundraising for Leeds Hospitals Charity
£2,757
raised of £1,000 target
by 79 supporters
Donations cannot currently be made to this page
In memory of Ruby Hall
We support Leeds Teaching Hospitals staff to deliver the best care for our patients

Story

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

On 27th July 2016 we lost our daughter, Ruby Aurelia Mary Hall, at just 9 days old.

Due to fetal distress, Ruby had to be delivered by emergency C-section and was anaemic at birth due to a feto-maternal hemorrhage (loss of fetal blood into the maternal circulation) that had occurred before she was born. She was immediately rushed to Neonatal at ICU (Intensive Care Unit) where she was given an urgent blood transfusion just hours old. We also discovered that she was battling MAS - meconium aspiration syndrome which caused an infection in her lungs and one of her lungs to slightly collapse. In turn, this led to pulmonary hypertension/raised blood pressure as well as various other complications.

Two days after she was born, we were able to share our first cuddle. After having had a second blood transfusion, she had to be heavily sedated to stabilise her and help her recovery. We were told that we may be in for a very rough ride but Ruby was a fighter. She was eventually taken off sedation on the Saturday morning and moved to HDU (High Dependency Unit) the following day. Things were moving in the right direction and we started to feel less anxious however in the early hours of Sunday, we discovered Ruby had been taken back into ICU again as she had deteriorated.

At this stage, Ruby was somewhat of a medical mystery whilst consultants closely monitored her and she underwent several tests and various scans in order to diagnose what was wrong. Three days later, we were taken aside by a consultant who explained that they had found a blood clot obstructing blood flow to her left kidney. The clot was being treated and worse case scenario was Ruby would be left with one kidney.

Whilst we were just coming to terms with this news, that night our strong, beautiful girl sadly lost her remarkable fight.

During our time in ICU we were and still are, enormously touched by how our angel was cared for by the most wonderful people with the utmost love and tenderness that any parent could wish for. The nurses, specialists and consultants truly are an inspiration and what they do is phenomenal as well as providing a source of comfort and support in the most difficult times.

In Ruby’s memory, we have joined together and would like to raise funds for the Neonatal ICU without which, she wouldn't have had the fighting chance she was given and we wouldn't have had those so very precious 9 days with her.

Please join with any events you can.

You'll see our team fundraising target on the right. Your donation can really help us smash this goal. 

If you would like tot get involved with our fundraising, you can set up a page in memory of Ruby here and link to our team page: https://www.justgiving.com/remember/400486/Ruby-Hall

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

About the charity

Our NHS staff already do an incredible job caring for patients and your support can help them do even more. By donating to Leeds Hospitals Charity, you can fund the things that make a real difference to patients and their families, and help make our hospitals even better.

Donation summary

Total raised
£2,756.95
+ £403.25 Gift Aid
Online donations
£2,756.95
Offline donations
£0.00

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