Freddie was born in February 2025 by emergency C-section before labour started. His heart rate was unstable, and once delivered, it became clear how serious things really were. Freddie was born with a rare and severe form of gastroschisis—a condition where the bowel develops outside of the body. In his case, both his small and large intestines were outside and already severely damaged.

His small bowel had perforated, creating a blockage, and the two sections of his bowel were completely torn apart and no longer connected. At just 36 hours old, he underwent major abdominal surgery to form an ileostomy and create a stoma, as his bowel was far too unhealthy to reconnect.

Freddie spent nearly six long, intense weeks in NICU. For almost a week, I wasn’t even allowed to hold him. He was covered in wires, tubes, and surrounded by machines keeping him stable.

On day 7, things took a sharp turn. He went from breathing on his own to needing a ventilator, and it was the immediate actions of the NICU nurses that saved his life. Their level of skill, calm under pressure, and experience in handling such fragile cases is something I’ll never forget.

Because of the gastroschisis, Freddie couldn’t absorb nutrients properly. He was nil by mouth for over a week, relying solely on TPN (total parenteral nutrition) through a line in his scalp. When it was time to introduce milk, he was diagnosed with milk intolerance, needing an extremely broken-down, prescription-only formula. He started on just 5ml feeds, which were increased slowly over several weeks. Nothing about this process was straightforward.

The nurses were there constantly—not just for Freddie, but for us as well. They taught us how to care for his stoma and feed him safely. They explained things we didn’t understand. They kept us involved when we felt completely helpless. Without them, we wouldn’t have made it through those five weeks.

Freddie will need further surgery to reverse his stoma when he’s older, and due to the long-term impacts of gastroschisis, he’ll be under hospital care for years to come.

The skydive on the 14th a September is to raise money for the team that quite literally kept our baby alive and helped us through the hardest days of our lives. They deal with the most complex and fragile babies every single day, and they do it with focus, patience, and compassion.

If you can donate, please do. Every single pound makes a difference.

Thank you.