On April 20 at 6.36pm, our son Ffredi Fôn Evans was born at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor. Although it looked like he was doing really well, it later became apparent that his bowel was not working as it should. After two days, he was transferred to Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool and over the course of eight days he was treated by the incredible surgical and neonatal teams in neonatal ICU. He was diagnosed with Hirschsprungs, a rare congenital disease that affects 200 babies and children a year in the UK (1 in 5000).

For Ffredi and other children with Hirschsprungs disease, their large intestine doesn’t work in the way it should, meaning that the bowel can become blocked and result in a very serious infection.

In August of this year, Ffredi will have surgery at Alder Hey Hospital to fix the defect in his bowel.

While staying at Alder Hey, we couldn’t be more grateful for the care we received from the incredible teams that work there - from the doctors who took their time to explain every step to us, the nurses who took care of Ffredi and us from day 1 to 8 at every hour of the day, the Ronald McDonald house where I could sleep, the funds that subsidised our meals so we could eat, the infant feeding team who supported Georgina and meant Ffredi could still breastfeed when he was able to feed again, the practitioners of many descriptions who know their fields so well, the volunteers in pink, to the staff at Costa Coffee who served us hot chocolate each day.

As outpatients, we have continued to receive incredible care and later this year, we will be readmitted for Ffredi to have his operation and will once again be incredible grateful for the support and care we will receive while we stay at Alder Hey.

The first week of your child’s life is one of the most memorable for any family, let alone when your child is admitted to ICU. The teams that provide care at every level of Alder Hey are amazing and make the experience feel much less scary than it could.

That’s why I’m raising money for Alder Hey Children’s Charity. The charity provides technology, treatments and creates magic that goes above and beyond what the NHS offers. It means that when your child is poorly, you know you’re receiving the best care you could imagine.

I am raising money this year through some sponsored events and I ask that you’ll support me and donate to my JustGiving page with all proceeds going to Alder Hey Children’s Charity. Every little bit helps a child who attends Alder Hey, including children like Ffredi from Anglesey.

The first event is a football match to be hosted at Llangoed Football Club on Sunday July 28. Two teams will play head to head for the Ffredi Evans Trophy.