The parents of a baby boy who sadly died five days after his birth have raised over £10,000 for the neonatal intensive unit where their son was cared for.
Finnley James Adam Morris was born at Blackpool Victoria Hospital on 1st October 2020, weighing 6Ibs 13oz, to parents Adam and Emma Morris from Lancashire.
Due to medical errors, Finnley was transferred to the Royal Preston’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit high dependency ward where he sadly died on the 5th October 2020.
In his memory, and as a thank you to the neonatal team that cared for Finnley, Adam and Emma set up the #FiftyForFinnley challenge, raising a remarkable £10,300.
Fundraisers were given the challenge to complete fifty kilometres or fifty miles throughout the month of November (2020) in any way the person involved could, be it running, walking, swimming or cycling.
The money raised has enabled Baby Beat at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to purchase Respiration Monitors for apnoea detection in babies on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where premature and sick babies are more at risk of developing apnoea, which is when a baby stops breathing.
The monitor, manufactured by Delta Medical International, provides robust and reliable monitoring for neonates and young babies, detecting apnoeic episodes more quickly and rapid alerts to ensure a timely response.
Alongside the Morris family’s fundraising challenges, an additional £9,000 has been raised by Baby Beat to fund a total of 30 Respiration Monitors with support from: Springfields Employees Medical Research & Charity Trust Fund; Tesco Bags of Help; Risley Medical Research & Charity Trust Fund; the Shepherd Street Trust; and the Felicity Wilde Charitable Trust.
The Morris family said: “We are extremely proud of the achievements of everyone involved in the #fiftyforfinnley challenge and the money that has been raised in Finnley’s name.
“To know that he will be helping both children and parents alike in their time of need is enormously comforting.
“To have lost our son in such unnecessary and sad circumstances has devastated us to say the least, but to know that there has been some positivity to have come out of our situation for others, and for Finnley to have made his own little legacy, has made us proud beyond words.
“We are truly grateful for everyone that got involved in the challenge or donated and helped to raise money for such a worthy cause.”
Baby Beat Manager, Cathy Skidmore, said: “We would like to wholeheartedly thank the Morris family and friends for their act of generosity in such sad circumstances; it is truly appreciated and will make a really big difference to the babies cared for in the neonatal unit. We are also very grateful to all the trust which, by awarding us grants, have enabled Baby Beat to purchase a total of 30 monitors.”
