I spent a whole week in hospital before the JR medical team said it was time for both of mine and my baby’s health to be born via c-section at 26+6 weighing 1lb 9.5oz. Once I had the go ahead Lee my other half, rushed over from work the day of Xander’s arrival so he could be with us both as we didn’t no when the medical team would say when the day of arrival would be. We knew it would be earlier but didn’t now how early. Due to preeclampsia and placenta blood flow. 

The three of us  were supported by a superb charity known as SSNAP…Christine showed us around the unit became Xander was born ….and we meet Kaz which they both they ensured we could  be by the incubator day and night. By providing a nursing chair where we could both give Xander kangaroo care, and also providing somewhere to stay due to us living outside the area. 

Xander had a 6 week stay in the NiCU before being transferred to Milton Keynes our home hospital and then a week before his due date. We came back for a double hernia operation for three days. Xander also had bowel surgery back at JR in the children’s ward three weeks before his first birthday. Spending another week in the ward. 

I will be running with Xander in the buggy a 4mile run around Blenheim palace

Alongside lifelong friends that we met on the unit. Lee and Xander will be supporting me when we cross the line at  the Oxford half marathon in October 2023. I ran the Oxford half in 2021 and had the tail biker helping me thoughout the half. I wasn’t running my best back then and I’ve started back doing c25k.  I know the time doesn’t matter for the 5 and half months Xander was in hospital, it’s just getting to the finish and completing the half. 

We are indebted to SSNAP for their constant support in every way possible from food and goody bags at Xander’s bedside, for enabling me to stay at the house SSNAP at no cost to myself so I was only ever a stones throw from Xander at any given time. For Christine and kaz’s time. We are eternally grateful to them. So I will run once again for them, my son and other parents and sick babies in similar circumstances. The charity is so very deserving.so please give generously.