Peter Sowerby
Cycle From RLI to St Marys Manchester - 26th August 2017
Fundraising for Ronald McDonald House Charities
Story
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A little bit of Why What & Who for..
Why…
On the 2nd of June we had premature twins by emergency C Section at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Twin 1 Isabella fed straight away and well, but when we came to feed Twin 2 Adam, he very quickly turned blue and started choking.
This was diagnosed by the neonatal paediatrician as a TOF (Tracheo-Oesophageal Fistula) and Adam was taken from us and rushed down the M6 to St Mary’s specialist Neonatal unit in Manchester.
The team at Manchester further diagnosed his problem as a TOF/OA (Tracheo-Oesophageal Fistula, Oesophageal Atresia). To put this simply his stomach was attached to his wind pipe & his throat was a dead end. This meant as he was feeding it would just fill the dead end and overflow into his windpipe & lungs.
The surgical team in Manchester worked miracles and managed to reconnect them together (just). They had to paralyse him for a further 48 hours to prevent him moving and tearing the repair. However it has torn slightly and he's under further observations and interventions that are keeping him alive while his body try's to heal the tear. Meaning all his breathing and feeding is being done by machines / specialist nursing staff.
Once the leak has self repaired they will be able to start feeding him properly and build his strength up enough to come home. He will have life long problems but with such a strong family & friends around he will always be loved.
What…
So a very good friend of mine said we should all run the 60 mile that Adam travelled from the Royal Lancaster Infirmary to St Marys in Manchester, but we quickly realised he was the only one fit / daft enough to do that! So it was changed to a bike ride down the A6 instead. Something more people could enjoy / endure.
Who for…
Adams care could take from a couple of months to the rest of the year depending how he progresses. Obviously we would like to be close to him during his care rather than traveling up and down every day. The options being a local Travelodge & massive debt or renting a flat in Manchester.
Luckily the Ronald Mcdonald House charity has a number of homes next to NHS hospitals around the UK at they have a facility next to St Marys which houses 61 families at any one time. They do this without charge & without any funding. Its paid for from fundraising and those small see through boxes you see when you get your Big Mac Meals or Double Sausage & Egg Mcmuffins from the drive throughs and probably never glanced twice at.
Well the pennies you put in there have helped thousands of families stay close to their loved ones at the worst of times. Taking just a little bit of the stress away and providing a home from home.
Further Information
For more information on Ronald Mcdonald House Charity go to http://www.rmhc.org.uk/
For more information on TOF/OA go to http://www.tofs.org.uk
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.
A little bit of Why What & Who for..
Why…
On the 2nd of June we had premature twins by emergency C Section at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, Twin 1 Isabella fed straight away and well, but when we came to feed Twin 2 Adam, he very quickly turned blue and started choking.
This was diagnosed by the neonatal paediatrician as a TOF (Tracheo-Oesophageal Fistula) and Adam was taken from us and rushed down the M6 to St Mary’s specialist Neonatal unit in Manchester.
The team at Manchester further diagnosed his problem as a TOF/OA (Tracheo-Oesophageal Fistula, Oesophageal Atresia). To put this simply his stomach was attached to his wind pipe & his throat was a dead end. This meant as he was feeding it would just fill the dead end and overflow into his windpipe & lungs.
The surgical team in Manchester worked miracles and managed to reconnect them together (just). They had to paralyse him for a further 48 hours to prevent him moving and tearing the repair. However it has torn slightly and he's under further observations and interventions that are keeping him alive while his body try's to heal the tear. Meaning all his breathing and feeding is being done by machines / specialist nursing staff.
Once the leak has self repaired they will be able to start feeding him properly and build his strength up enough to come home. He will have life long problems but with such a strong family & friends around he will always be loved.
What…
So a very good friend of mine said we should all run the 60 mile that Adam travelled from the Royal Lancaster Infirmary to St Marys in Manchester, but we quickly realised he was the only one fit / daft enough to do that! So it was changed to a bike ride down the A6 instead. Something more people could enjoy / endure.
Who for…
Adams care could take from a couple of months to the rest of the year depending how he progresses. Obviously we would like to be close to him during his care rather than traveling up and down every day. The options being a local Travelodge & massive debt or renting a flat in Manchester.
Luckily the Ronald Mcdonald House charity has a number of homes next to NHS hospitals around the UK at they have a facility next to St Marys which houses 61 families at any one time. They do this without charge & without any funding. Its paid for from fundraising and those small see through boxes you see when you get your Big Mac Meals or Double Sausage & Egg Mcmuffins from the drive throughs and probably never glanced twice at.
Well the pennies you put in there have helped thousands of families stay close to their loved ones at the worst of times. Taking just a little bit of the stress away and providing a home from home.
Further Information
For more information on Ronald Mcdonald House Charity go to http://www.rmhc.org.uk/
For more information on TOF/OA go to http://www.tofs.org.uk
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.