This Christmas we are celebrating the miraculous gift of our son, Oscar Romero. In August this year, Oscar was born at 22 weeks and 5 days gestation - almost 5 months premature. Just before his birth, his doctors estimated his odds of survival at 1%. We spent the following four plus months in the neonatal unit at University College London Hospital, watching him grow from 550 grams to 3.6 kg, to learn to breathe on his own, and overcome several infections and other complications associated with prematurity. We were overwhelmed by the kindness of the NICU staff and the excellent level of care the NHS provided us. Oscar came home on Christmas Eve and we are gratefully celebrating our first Christmas as a family.

The Christmas season is one of tremendous gratitude for the grace of God in the world and our lives, and, in that spirit, we wanted to celebrate Oscar's homecoming by fundraising for the UCLH neonatal unit charity, Early Lives. Oscar is the greatest gift we have ever received, and the work done by this neonatal unit ensures that many other parents get to feel the way we do against long odds.

It would mean the world to us, and to many parents and babies in the future, if you considered making a donation.

More info on Early Lives below:

The University College London Hospital (UCLH) neonatal fund relaunched as Early Lives on World Prematurity Day 2018.Early Lives brings together doctors, nurses, therapists and veteran parents. We support all aspects of life on the UCLH neonatal unit and key to this is building a community of supporters. Help us by staying in touch, getting involved and celebrating the work and success of the unit. We also raise funds to support the babies, families and staff in the unit. By paying for things like specialist equipment, family facilities, staff training and neonatal research, Early Lives enhances the care provided by the neonatal team and covers costs for things that are not funded through the NHS. You can support our work by making a donation or fundraising on our behalf.

www.earlylives.org

www.facebook.com/earlylives