Thank you for visiting Freddie's page.

I (Matt) am running the London Marathon on Sunday, 23rd April 2023 for Ronald McDonald House Charities UK; a charity so precious to us and so many other families. We decided to raise money and awareness for this wonderful charity in tribute to our son Freddie. We were unaware of this amazing charity and the support they provide families in their times of need, until we needed them earlier this year, and they were there for us, providing a home, minutes from the Evelina London Children's Hospital, whilst Freddie spent his time with us in the NICU, giving us such valuable time with Freddie.

Any donation, however small, would be hugely appreciated. £25 can accommodate a family for 1 night in one of their 13 houses, all located near Children's Hospitals across the UK. They rely fully on fundraising, so the more we can raise and spread the word, the more families we can help, and the more families get the same amazing support at the time they need it the most.  Helping us build Freddie's legacy and seeing first-hand, the good we can do for others, is also such a comfort to our family, and helps us create a legacy for our little Freddie. 

Freddie's Story

Our little Freddie was born at 7pm on the 16th August this year, 2 minutes before his twin brother Harry. We were in awe of our twin boys and instantly fell in love with them.

Freddie had a heart defect, Ebstein's Anomaly; a severe and extremely rare congenital heart disease that was diagnosed at our 20-week scan. We were referred immediately to the Evelina London Children's Hospital and were visiting for scans 3-weekly from that point, with the twins Freddie & Harry also delivered there at 36 weeks. 

We knew Freddie would have a real fight on his hands, and he was immediately given breathing support and admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Evelina. We knew he may be there for some time before any chance of bringing him home given how severe his illness was.

Having a new born in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at a specialist hospital some 40 miles from home whilst also juggling a toddler and another new born baby could have caused even more stress and anxiety on top of everything else we were dealing with, not to mention, limiting our time spent with Freddie. We were told during the pregnancy of Ronald McDonald House at the Evelina, and were reassured that we would likely receive a room in a 'home from home' a stones’ throw from the hospital whilst Freddie received his treatment, and would be welcome to stay for as long as it took him to recover. We thought that was amazing, but it wasn't until we arrived we realised just how special this charity is. This was also the first we had heard of such a wonderful charity, and is one of the main reasons we want to raise funding and awareness in Freddie's honour. 

We never for a second imagined we would be coming home with only one of our beautiful twin boys, but sadly Freddie lost his fight on Thursday 25th August on his 10th day, after showing so much fight and determination to get through this during his time with us. He was always on full breathing support and monitoring, and so our time holding him was limited, but our bond grew and grew. He was a truly incredible little human and didn't deserve any of this. He was so alert, holding our hands, staring at us the minute we walked into the room, and there were so many ups as well as the downs in his short time with us. We genuinely believed right until the very end that he would recover from this, but he fought as hard as he could and we know he tried his very best. 

We are so thankful to Ronald McDonald House Charities UK and the Evelina House Team for providing us a home for the time Freddie was with us. It meant we could spend every waking hour with him, by his side as a family of 5, as well as having somewhere both Harry and Phoebe could also stay with us. Not only do they provide accommodation for families with children of all ages that are receiving treatment at the Evelina; they provide much more than that, and support the entire family, looking after 'Mum & Dad' as well as other siblings. 

There are kitchens and communal areas, food donations, essentials, and generally just a lovely, supportive community; a sense of community families really do need in times like this.

Our story didn't get the ending we have so longed for, but we are so thankful that we got to spend so much time with Freddie, and this was made possible by Ronald McDonald House. They provided us a home and a safe place during this nightmare, allowing us to live so close to Freddie, and visit him within 10 minutes at any hour. That time spent with our little man is SO precious and always will be, and we built memories we will cherish forever. 

Thank you for visiting our page, and for your kind donations x