Two babies who spent their first few months of life together at Royal Preston Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are being taken on a sponsored walk of the Blackpool illuminations to raise money for Baby Beat.
Daisy and Arlo, who were both born prematurely in May of this year weighing 1b 8oz and 1lb 1oz respectively, were in incubators opposite from one another for many months.
Both Daisy and Arlo had similar journeys on the unit, from being on ventilators and CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) to support with their breathing, to travelling to Liverpool for laser eye surgery.
When they were finally able to come home to meet their families in September, without needing any home oxygen and managing to feed without support, they began to thrive and spent lots of quality time with their loved ones.
Daisy’s parents, Rachael and Sam, and Arlo’s parents, Kelly and Lewis, wanted to raise some money for Baby Beat, the charity which supports maternity and neonatal units at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals.
Rachael said:
“Both Daisy and Arlo were extremely unwell, and we wanted to give something back to the amazing staff on the unit to say thank you for all their incredible support and the expert care they provided. We know that Baby Beat funds equipment for the maternity teams, such as a sensory unit and an ultrasound machine, so we wanted to help with any future purchases which might make things that bit better for any other parents who have been in our position.
“During our time on the unit, the staff became like family, and helped us through such a difficult time by celebrating tiny milestones and helping us to make sense of things during a pandemic – a situation no new parent thinks they will find themselves in. We would be so grateful to anyone who could donate to support our festive walk!”
The sponsored walk will take place on Sunday 20th December, where Daisy and Arlo will be able to enjoy the famous Blackpool Illuminations for the first time.
Arlo’s mum Kelly said:
“The staff on the unit are real-life superheroes – and it’s no understatement to say they saved our babies lives. I cannot thank them enough, but our festive sponsored walk is one way we can give back to the staff and show them how much we appreciate everything they’ve done for us.
“We are asking for any donations to help us give something back to the unit, who do so much for parents at such a difficult time in their lives. Daisy and Arlo will be in their best Christmas outfits (cuteness guaranteed!) and we will have some tinsel and fairy lights adorning the prams! Clearly Covid restrictions mean that this can’t be a larger event, but please do feel free to join in if you are in the area!”
Baby Beat Manager, Cathy Skidmore, said:
“We are extremely grateful to Rachael, Kelly and their families and friends for supporting us after what must have been an incredibly difficult time. I am delighted to see that both Daisy and Arlo are doing brilliantly – that much is clear from the gorgeous festive photos! Baby Beat funds state of the art equipment to help parents and staff on the neonatal and maternity units at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals, and the funds raised from this sponsored walk will go towards making more of these improvements. Thank you again to Rachel, Kelly, their families and friends and anyone who has made a donation!”
To donate to Daisy and Arlo’s sponsored walk, visit: http://www.justgiving.com/DaisyandArlowalkforbabybeat
Find out more about Baby Beat here: https://babybeat.org.uk/
