Joseph and Esme were born at the RVI in Newcastle on a snowy Friday afternoon in February.  Whilst Esme was fine, her little brother Joseph struggled with his breathing and was cared for by the special care baby unit. Joseph was very brave , but after eight days he sadly passed away. 

The eight days we spent with Joe went by in a blur. They were many things;  bewildering, difficult, and heartbreaking but also inspiring and  wonderful. There were moments of great joy and also great sadness.

Unfortunately it is a fact of life that some babies need a helping hand in the first few hours and days of their lives.. We were truly humbled by the work that the doctors and nurses  carried out on Joe's behalf and it was wonderful to see how hard they tried to allow his parents and sister to assist with his care .

The unit at the RVI  cares for many children 24 hours a day and is supported in part by the Tiny Lives charity.   The charity provided very practical support to us and to Joe during his short life and once he had passed. From providing equipment to assist with his care to sorting out something as mundane as car parking , this charity really helps.  When confronted with a very poorly baby this support made a real difference at an intensely difficult time.

To enable Tiny LIves to continue to provide that support we have set up this page to enable any of our friends and family to donate if they would like to do so .  

With best wishes

Mark and Nicky Jackson 

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.