My baby girl Lyra was born last April. At just hours old she was moved to the Royal Hospital for Children's neonatal unit and spent 25 days in NICU and SCBU. She was diagnosed as having trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome). Linked to this she had 2 holes in her heart, one of which would require open heart surgery before she reached 6 months old.

Lyra's health deteriorated. After a short stay in the RHC's ward 1E (Cardiac Care) her open heart surgery was brought forward and followed by stays in PICU and ward 1E.

Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity not only helped fund some of the equipment which saved Lyra's life, but also offered assistance with things such as donor milk in Lyra's first hours, breastfeeding and expressing support and equipment for me, pull-down beds to allow us to stay with Lyra on 1E, the vCreate messaging service which allowed the amazing neonatal nurses to send us video and photo updates during our darkest nights when we couldn't stay with her, toys and projectors to keep her entertained, and an improved and calming operating theatre waiting area.

Not only did Lyra receive the best care possible; as parents we received fantastic support including psychological and financial assistance during her stays.

These are just some of the things the charity did for us, they have a much bigger impact throughout RHC and we would like to give back to allow other children and families to continue to receive this quality of care.

Though my fundraiser is for GCHC, my team - Lyra's Stars - are taking part in the Kiltwalk on Lyra's birthday weekend to jointly fundraise for GCHC and Down's Syndrome Scotland. Down's Syndrome Scotland has been there for us since Lyra's diagnosis and we are so grateful for the community it has introduced us to, resources such as free makaton lessons and monthly meet-ups with other families. They are the only charity in Scotland dedicated solely to supporting people in Scotland with Down Syndrome and they need funding to continue their great work and expand areas of research.

I would kindly ask you to consider splitting your donation between both charities by donating to two members of my team if possible.

Thank you for reading my story, and for supporting these incredible charities who we owe so much to.