Lena McMillan
Hamish and Aoife's 10th Birthday Cycle Challenge
Fundraising for Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity
Story
My name is Lena and I am mum to our twins, Hamish and Aoife, as well as their big sister, Orlaith. I am also married to their wonderful dad, Andy and together as a family, we are raising money for Crosshouse Children's Fund - a new charitable fund which has been established by Glasgow Childrens Hospital Charity to support children throughout Ayrshire and Arran who are cared for in the maternity, neonatal and paediatric units at Crosshouse Hospital.
Ten years ago, Hamish and Aoife were born ten weeks early, weighing just 1lb 9oz and 3lb 2oz - to give you an idea of what that is, Hamish weighed less than a bag of sugar and Aoife, just over a bag.
Hamish had IUGR - Intrauterine Growth Restriction, a condition in which a baby's growth slows or stops during pregnancy. IUGR occurs in around 3 out of every 100 pregnancies. To have any chance of making it, Hamish had to be born prematurely; for Aoife, their early birth was a huge risk. When she was born, her heart had stopped and she wasn't breathing. Both faced an uphill struggle, with Hamish in particular experiencing endless setbacks along the way.
Without the amazing care and attention of the wonderful team at Crosshouse, we simply wouldn't have three living children. Our twinnies spent months in the neonatal unit before coming home weeks apart; Hamish managed six days at home, before being admitted to Crosshouse paediatric ward, then transferred to Yorkhill (children’s hospital in Glasgow) where he spent nearly three months, finally getting home for good on Christmas Eve. He went on to have so many readmissions to the paediatric ward at Crosshouse, we lost count of them and he continues to receive regular care from the respiratory team. We are forever indebted to everyone who has played a part in their journey.
Hamish and Aoife came up with the idea for this fundraiser themselves, deciding that they wanted to mark their decade by giving something back. They have chosen to do a 34 mile cycle at Loch Lomond, from Balloch to Tarbet and back, on Saturday, 27th July. We hope that you will be able to support them in this by giving whatever you can spare. Many thanks.
Ten years ago, Hamish and Aoife were born ten weeks early, weighing just 1lb 9oz and 3lb 2oz - to give you an idea of what that is, Hamish weighed less than a bag of sugar and Aoife, just over a bag.
Hamish had IUGR - Intrauterine Growth Restriction, a condition in which a baby's growth slows or stops during pregnancy. IUGR occurs in around 3 out of every 100 pregnancies. To have any chance of making it, Hamish had to be born prematurely; for Aoife, their early birth was a huge risk. When she was born, her heart had stopped and she wasn't breathing. Both faced an uphill struggle, with Hamish in particular experiencing endless setbacks along the way.
Without the amazing care and attention of the wonderful team at Crosshouse, we simply wouldn't have three living children. Our twinnies spent months in the neonatal unit before coming home weeks apart; Hamish managed six days at home, before being admitted to Crosshouse paediatric ward, then transferred to Yorkhill (children’s hospital in Glasgow) where he spent nearly three months, finally getting home for good on Christmas Eve. He went on to have so many readmissions to the paediatric ward at Crosshouse, we lost count of them and he continues to receive regular care from the respiratory team. We are forever indebted to everyone who has played a part in their journey.
Hamish and Aoife came up with the idea for this fundraiser themselves, deciding that they wanted to mark their decade by giving something back. They have chosen to do a 34 mile cycle at Loch Lomond, from Balloch to Tarbet and back, on Saturday, 27th July. We hope that you will be able to support them in this by giving whatever you can spare. Many thanks.
