As most of you will know Lucy required life saving open heart surgery when she was just two days old.  We were with her in hospital for well over a month, first in intensive care and then on a high dependency cardio ward.  This time was by far the most challenging of our lives as a family. 

We struggled to cope with a roller coaster of emotions alongside sleep depravation, whilst trying our best, but realistically failing to maintain some sense of normality for Hannah. It was so tough and I can only imagine how much worse it was for Jennie being having just given birth.

High quality care from dedicated staff of the NHS was a given.  Lucy's surgeon spent many hours by Lucy's bedside on Christmas day when he was not even scheduled to be working, monitoring her progress following a second emergency operation on Christmas eve.   He simply stated that Lucy was his patient and that he was there because she needed him.  A child needing to spend significant time in hospital tough on the whole family.  We know from experience that small things can make a big difference.  

Archie has supported Aberdeen Neonatal Unit for nearly 40 years and is the fundraising partner for NHS Grampian’s new Baird Family Hospital. The Baird will replace Aberdeen’s aging maternity hospital and neonatal unit. It will also encompass breast screening & surgery, gynaecology and reproductive medicine services. Archie’s Fundraising will deliver the extras, beyond government funding, to transform this clinically state-of-the-art hospital into a world-class facility. Archie’s £2m appeal will fund environment enhancement (environment has been proven to improve healthcare outcomes) and specialist equipment. Top of the neonatal equipment “wishlist” are brain function monitors for asphyxiated babies (£25k) and non-invasive jaundice monitors (£6k).

As part of BP Coast 2 Coast I will be cycling 240 hilly miles from Gairloch back to Aberdeen over three days to raise money for this charity.   Since January I have been training as hard as possible alongside my health challenges and trying to lose weight to give me the best chance to complete it!  It is way outside my comfort zone. 

Please give generously as all money raised will go directly to charity, (the costs for my ride are of course funded by me).  Please don't forget to Gift Aid if you are eligible.