Our Baby Adam made a *very* early entrance in December '24 at just 23 weeks (4 months premature), weighing 800g / 1.8lbs, with a severe case of chronic lung disease, grade 2 bleed in his brain, and a hole in his heart. As he fought for his life in NICU, it was only possible for Anita and I to be with him around the clock, and drop life saving milk deliveries, due to the amazing kindness of the Sick Children's Trust, the charity that gives families with a seriously ill child in hospital a comfortable place to stay and a friendly ear to listen in one of their ten ‘Homes from Home’. By providing families with somewhere to stay near their child they have one less thing to worry about.

Without this wonderful charity, our situation would have been impossible. By staying at Stevenson House in Whitechapel, we were able to celebrate the small wins as we came to terms with our new reality, including:

- Holding him for the first time at 14 days old

- Hearing him cry for the first time at 19 days old as he came off the intrusive ventilator (though it was reinstated)

- Being told the bleed on his brain is resolving rather than progressing

- Hearing that the hole in his heart closed without the need for surgery

- Registering his birth at Tower Hamlets townhall (he is officially a cockney, born within the sound of Bow Bells!)

- Successful 'extubation' in mid-January on the third attempt

We are eternally grateful to Imtiaz, Pauline, Narcisa and all the staff at the Sick Children's Trust who enabled us to share these moments of joy with our little boy.

Adam's journey was an extreme case, but one of many such cases taking place every day around the UK. It costs approximately £40 to support a family for one night in these "Homes from Home" when their child is in the hospital. Please help us to raise money for this amazing charity, so they can continue giving families hope in their most desperate moments.