Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

For those of you not aware, my daughter Felicity was born prematurely at 29 weeks with a rare condition called Hydrops Fetalis. She was given just a 5 percent chance of survival and was extremely poorly. Born via emergency C-section at Doncaster Royal Infirmary it quickly became apparent that Felicity needed to be transferred to the NICU (Neonatal intensive care unit) at the Jessop wing in Sheffield. With my wife still in recovery following her surgery, me and Felicity had to leave her behind in Doncaster while the team from Embrace transferred us there. See the link for info on Embrace: https://www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk/embrace/

There is no doubt in my mind that these moments were the most devastating moments of my life and while the journey on the ambulance was a complete blur, there is one thing that I can recall from that morning and that is the way in which the paramedics who were responsible for getting my little girl to the Jessop wing safe and sound, also made sure that I was ok, they sat me down, gave me something to drink and eat, and made sure that I knew I would be in no fit state to look after my girl if I didn't look after myself.

I am overjoyed to share that Felicity had just celebrated her 4th birthday and has made a full recovery. I have chosen to do this 116-day Ice Bath Challenge as that's how many days my little warrior spent in the hospital, shared between the Jessop Wing and Sheffield Children's Hospital. While I know this challenge may not be easy for me to complete, it pales in significance to what Felicity had to endure at such an early stage in her life.

A final point on the lasting effect that the paramedics from the Embrace team have had on me. I'm doing this challenge to highlight the amazing job everyone within Team Embrace and the ambulance service does. And I am currently nearing the end of my Access to Higher Education Course at Doncaster College where I have studied for a level 3 diploma in Health Science and have subsequently been offered a place to study Paramedic Science at the University of Bradford starting in September. I have made it my ambition to be a positive influence on people during the most difficult times they will ever face.

I hope you will all follow my Journey, over the 116 days. Content on TikTok will be available so everyone can have a laugh at my expense along with a Facebook page where I will be sharing more details of the challenges my warrior daughter faced, not forgetting the Heroes that saved my daughter's life.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1322703531653272/?ref=share

I also understand the stresses and strains of being a parent in such an impossible situation, so I will make myself available should people who are going, or have gone through similar need to vent to someone who understands.

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