PLEASE DONATE ON MY TEAM PAGE

The Baby Isaac Fund is named after Isaac Villiers, the son of a friend and former colleague. Isaac died when he was just 13 months old. This account of his life was written by his mum and dad, Ian and Crista....

 

Our little hero, Isaac Samuel Burgess Villiers came into this world on Tuesday May 5, 2009, at St George's hospital, Tooting, London. Born with a condition called jejunal atresia that was picked up by sonographers at the 20 week scan, Isaac started life with a blockage in part of his bowel. Without immediate neonatal care and surgery, Isaac would not be able to digest milk and grow. Perfect in every other way, our smiley little warrior began his journey in life to get better and leave with mum and dad for normality at home. Under the great round the clock care of the staff at St George's neonatal intensive care unit, Isaac and his family faced many ups and downs as he battled through surgery to remove blockages as the incredible surgeons unpicked twists and made reconnections so Isaac could digest his mother's milk and grow strong.   

 

Daily blood tests, infusions of TPN (a kind of intravenous food which enabled Isaac to survive when he wasn’t able to digest milk), blood transfusions, flu viruses, blocked longlines, tests for cystic fibrosis, a double hernia operation, and an inability to put weight on were all finally overcome on August 28 as Isaac left St George's a normal healthy baby for home with parents, Ian and Cristina. The feelings of elation and pride at our smiley boy leaving to start his life were incredible and a light was finally beginning to banish the dark demons we had all gone through during the four months Isaac spent getting better at St George's. The daily vigil had come to an end and as we left dear friends on the ward, it was to hope that Isaac would continue to shine his amazing light in so many people's lives. 

 

The joy of watching Isaac grow from a baby into a small boy is impossible to put into words. Doting friends and family showered him in love and kindness, amazed at his sunny and chilled nature despite everything he had gone through. Trips to the seaside, a wedding in Rome and a chance to work his charm on the locals in Tuscany followed his 1st birthday and our first family Christmas. Previously joined to mum's hip, Isaac was beginning to wriggle and crawl as he went off on his merry way to discover new things. Music group at Cheeky Chimps and bath time with Daddy were just the ticket as life continued to heal the scars of his time at hospital.  

 

Sadly, out of nowhere, the light was taken out of our world, one cruel Monday morning as Isaac, suddenly pale, unwell and limp was raced to hospital.  Despite our best efforts to save him, Isaac died in his parents arms on June 28, 2010, he was 13 months old and the centre of our universe. An internal scar or adhesion caused by the surgery on his bowel had blocked his upper intestine again and his bowels twisted completely on themselves, blocking all blood supply off to it immediately. The postmortem would show that Isaac had become susceptible to these adhesions and that his passing was instant and impossible to have predicted.

 

As the life changing terribleness and despair began to sink in, mum and dad held on tight trying to stay afloat. As tears and exhaustion gave way to cruel numbness and black, dark fear that we couldn't put ourselves back together again, Isaac's spirit kept us strong and slowly gave purpose back to our lives. Walking through the beautiful countryside near home in Finchingfield, we felt Isaac's calming presence as butterfly's danced around our heads.

 

Trying to make sense of what happened whilst letting go, became a daily struggle. As time passed with the help of our family, friends, doctors and our wonderful Vicar who led the celebration of Isaac's life at St John's the Baptists church in Finchingfield, things began to become a little clearer. Isaac was such a warrior, a hero who battled through pain and distress, a boy who always smiled and laughed at everyone he ever met. Without the operations he had at St George's hospital in Tooting, he would have never survived and grown to enjoy his first Birthday and Christmas at home, he would never have given so many people so much joy in his short life. But those very operations conversely, led to internal scarring which led to his death.

 

Spending time once again with the surgical and neonatal team at St George's to explore answers became a priority. Mr Nicholls and Dr Kennea who cared for Isaac, helped explain what happened and that there was nothing they nor us, as parents could have done to have saved Isaac.

 

They also spoke with real passion about the need for specialist equipment for babies requiring surgery.  New innovations in neonatal surgery include key hole surgery which allows a surgeon to minimize the invasive action that an operation has. Whilst tiny keyhole surgery equipment fit for use on babies wouldn't have saved Isaac's life, many other babies today would stand a much better chance of recovering from surgery quicker with potentially less post-op complications. Recovering quicker and returning home to family, as we knew from personal experience, was incredibly important and powerful in helping those memories to heal.

 

I'm not embarrassed to admit that I cried all the way through Isaac's funeral and I am overwhelmed with admiration for the way that Ian and Crista have turned their awful loss into something positive by setting up a charity in Isaac's memory. That's why I am determined to help in the way I know best - getting on my bike and riding myself into the ground!

If you'd like to know more about the equipment that the surgeons at St George's need and how it will help babies like Isaac, click here.