I will be running the Manchester half marathon on the 12th October 2025 to raise money for the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Burnley General. Our daughter Ivy Giordano was born on the 26th September 2024 at Burnley General. At birth, Ivy was admitted to NICU with suspected hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a brain injury that occurs when a baby's brain doesn't receive enough oxygen or blood flow before, during, or shortly after birth. The doctors and nurses responded quickly to ensure she received the care and specialist treatment she needed to prevent any further potential damage. It was an extremely worrying time for us as new parents, but we truly felt she was in the best hands. After a short stay, we received positive news with a clear MRI and Ivy was discharged from the unit. She will continue to be supported in her development by the consultants at Burnley General for the next 2 years.

We will always be extremely grateful for the level of medical care and support Ivy received from the NICU team at Burnley General. They gave everything possible to help her recovery, and provided the emotional support we needed to navigate the difficult start our daughter experienced. Ivy continues to thrive and we will always be thankful for that. Your kind donations will help many babies and their families.

Here's some of the ways charitable funds have supported NICU:

Enhancing family engagement by providing video and photo updates through multilingual clinical video management software.

Creating family stayover rooms so parents from outside East Lancashire can stay close to their babies during care.

Introducing a mounted iPad trolley to enable parents living far away to participate in ward rounds, improving communication and their understanding of their baby’s care.

Introducing advanced, specialised medical equipment, outside of the NHS budget, to deliver better outcomes.