My son is 3 years old and is my absolute hero. Jensen was born in January 2023 at Epsom hospital. When he was born he had breathing difficulties and was extremely lethargic. He ended up spending 2 weeks in the special care unit at Epsom hospital. The care we as a family received was exceptional. The nurses, doctors and staff were all amazing and we can’t thank them enough for their support during that difficult time.

Thankfully, Jensen fully recovered and we were able to take him home in early February.

Jensen was later diagnosed with a condition called Neurofibromatosis type I. A complex multi-system neurocutaneous disorder caused by a subset of genetic mutations at the neurofibromin 1 locus. Due to his diagnosis Jensen will now be under the care of the paediatric team at Epsom until he reaches adulthood. The care he has received from his consultant and nurses has been incredible. We are extremely lucky to have them. Due to the nature of Jensen’s condition, he can obtain new symptoms sporadically so It’s very reassuring to know we have the Epsom team available to us when we need them.

2025 has been a difficult time for my wife and I. Sadly we lost 2 pregnancies this year. One of which came after a very positive scan so it came as a complete shock. But again, the service and support we received from the sonographers to the midwives was second to none. Even though we know how much pressure the staff are under, we were treated with so much care, compassion and professionalism.

One thing that shocked me from spending time in special care with Jensen was that the nurses regularly took part in charity events to raise money for their own units. It was a real eye opener as to how much the trust depended on charity donations. The staff at Epsom hospital literally saved my sons life so raising money for the trust’s charity is the very least I can do.

I can’t thank the teams enough for their support and continued work they do for the families of the hospital. It’s more than just a job that they do and I hope they know how much they are appreciated.

For anyone thinking about donating or even fundraising themselves, I would say don’t hesitate. Just do it! I think a lot of people take the NHS for granted and as previously mentioned, don’t realise how heavily dependent on donations it is. We are extremely lucky to have the NHS in this country and to lose it would be an absolute disaster. We all use the NHS and local hospitals at some point in our lives so I believe we all need to do our bit and give back.

Epsom and St Helier Hospitals Charity – we are the official registered Trust Charity that supports our incredible hospitals- Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals.

With your generosity and support, we can provide funds to support patients, their families and the staff who care for them at our hospitals. We rely on donations and fundraising to allow us support over and above what is normally provided. This can include buying new medical equipment, improving facilities, supporting staff training and so much more.