Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. I'm raising money for the transport team that supports the neonatal departments of Kent, Brighton and Surrey. When my second son, Stanley, was born, he was born with Strep-B Sepsis and Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension. The amazing doctors and nurses at the Conquest Hospital Hastings worked unwaveringly to keep Stanley alive, but it soon became clear that without the intervention of a ECMO machine (total heart and lung bypass machine), he would not make it. The nearest ECMO machine to the Conquest Hospital is Great Ormond Street, London, so a team needed to be arranged to transport Stanley to London, but due to Covid and other issues, a single team would not be able to get Stanley to London, so teams from Surrey and Kent came together for the first time to try to get Stanley to London alive. We were given little hope, as he was so ill, so we waited for the worst phone call to come, but it never did. Instead, the following day we recieved the call that he had arrived at GOSH and had successfully been transferred onto an ECMO machine for the next painful part of his rehabilitation. After 4 excruciating days, his Sepsis infection had almost completely abated and his lungs were starting to work independently. Again, the amazing transport team took him from GOSH to Medway Hospital. A week here, getting stronger, and then a final trip to the Special Care unit at TMBU in Brighton. From here, amazingly, happily, fantastically, home.

All of the NHS Neonatal departments played such a huge role in bringing Stanley home, but I wanted to recognise the transport team, that intially worked for 9 hours straight hand ventilating him before the full team were able to take him to GOSH, and onwards, between four hopsitals, and 256km of against-the-odds travel.

Because of this, I am going to cycle to each hospital in order, starting at The Conquest, Hastings, at 5:26AM (Stan's birth time), to GOSH London, Medway, Kent, finally to TMBU Brighton, following (as much as possible) the 256km that Stanley travelled.

I am trying to raise £10 for every kilometer that I travel, to go directly to the transport team, so that they can pay for staffing and equipment, to save the next acutely ill baby that needs their amazing support.

Plus, as I end up at Brighton Hospital, if I am a little worse for wear, I can hop straight into A and E!

Thank you so much for your generous contribution.