Our youngest son James was born in 2014 at 34weeks and 2days gestation.  He should have been what's known as a 'feeder and grower' a week or so in NICU gaining weight and learning to feed and then home, no problems.  He was a healthy weight, needed no help breathing and was the picture of a healthy baby.  However never one to play by the rules, he took a turn for the worse which, long story short, resulted in a transfer to another NICU, emergency surgery to perform a loop illeostomy, a month in NICU, repeated hospital visits for tests and investigations resulting ultimately in a stoma reversal surgery at 3 months old.  Luckily he was an amazing little boy and took it all in his stride, going from strength to strength.  To look at him now you'd never know the fight he went through and he was fully discharged from all relevant hospitals by the age of 2 with no further complications expected.

As James has got older he has noticed his scars more and more and that his baby pictures are all of him looking like some kind of borg with wires and NGs. We've had some difficult conversations and he knows how lucky he is to be with us still and how strong he has always been.  After finding out how much we relied on other people to keep our family complete he has decided that he would like to do something to help others going through similar and go someway to repaying the debt we will always owe to so many amazing people and organisations.  As a result we have signed up for the Bliss 'Light up the Night' event.  We will be hosting/taking part in an after dark walk around the village with lanterns/torches to symbolise the hope Bliss gives to families coping with everything that comes with having a premature baby.

We'd be so grateful if you would consider sponsoring us for our lantern walk, any amount you can spare will be very gratefully received! 

Bliss exists to give every baby born premature or sick in the UK the best chance of survival and quality of life.We champion their right to receive the best care by supporting families, campaigning for change and supporting professionals, and enabling life-changing research.Please help me raise money to improve survival rates of babies born premature or sick and help give them the best possible start in life.