For those of you that know Piper, know she needs no introduction. But in case you don’t here is a whistle stop tour to our magnificent little girl.

Piper Matthews was born on the 13th December, immediately it was visible she didn’t have a sufficient airway and struggling to breathe. She was intubated and transferred to Southampton General. After several trips to theatre and an MRI it was determined she had a rare congenital condition called Bilateral Vocal Cord Palsy. She had an operation to give her a tracheostomy at 11 days old on Christmas Eve. And the road to recovery began. In total, Piper spent 3 months in hospital. Steve and I spent every single day by her side. Although our home is a stones throw down the motorway from Southampton General, travelling backwards and forwards simply wasn’t an option. We needed to be with our newborn baby which is exactly where Ronald McDonald House comes in.

Ronald McDonald House Charities UK provides free 'home away from home' accommodation to families with children having treatment in specialist hospitals.

Their Southampton House offered us much more than just a place to stay; they provided family activities during our stay, peer support, respite, and many other services. The time of year in which we were staying there meant that Christmas looked a little different, however Ronald McDonald House made sure it still had plenty of holiday cheer. This meant that we could be by our newborn’s bedside in a matter of moments if we needed to be, whilst maintaining a degree of normal life with reduced emotional and financial strain.

For Piper’s first birthday we, as a family, would like to give back to the place that helped us when our lives were turned upside down. Donating to this fundraiser and virtual bucket collection will directly help another family in their time of crisis. To house a family for one night the average cost is £25. We’d love to raise at much as possible for a worthy cause that any one of us or our families could need at any point in our lives.

On behalf of Steve, Piper and myself thank you for supporting Piper’s Birthday fundraiser virtual bucket collection.