A County Durham family have shared their story about the premature birth of their daughter to help inspire others suffering to access the support that they received.
Sarah Oliver went into labour 12 weeks prematurely in August 2021. Her and her partner, Leigh rushed to the Royal Victoria Infirmary where their daughter, Evelyn was born weighing only 2lbs 10oz.
Evelyn was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit as soon as she was born. It was four days before Sarah and Leigh could hold their newborn daughter for the first time.
As she had trouble breathing, Evelyn was put onto a ventilator for two days, and spent another three weeks with support from a CPAP breathing machine. She was only able to breathe unassisted at six weeks of age.
For Sarah and Leigh, being at Evelyn's side was crucial as she was treated for holes in her heart, brain bleeds and infections.
In Leigh's own words: "This was a lot for us to process. Not only had our daughter arrived a lot sooner than planned, she was also facing all these medical conditions.
"The three weeks that Evelyn was at the RVI were made even more stressful because she was being treated 45 minutes away from our home in County Durham. The hospital told us about The Sick Children’s Trust and its ‘Home from Home’ Crawford House, which supports families while their children are seriously ill at the RVI and that they might be able to help us."
Leigh and Sarah already knew about the Sick Children's Trust because they'd supported friends of theirs when they had a child in hospital. Since being founded in 1982 the charity has helped over 73,000 with a free place to stay close to their seriously ill child's hospital bedside.
According to Leigh, having the 'Home from Home' at Crawford House was "an absolute lifesaver.
"It made sure that Sarah and I could always be by Evelyn’s side throughout her treatment, which also removed the long drive to and from the hospital. It was always going to be tough leaving her on the ward in the evenings, but being able to stay a Crawford House, which is located just minutes away on the hospital site, made everything so much less traumatic."
After spending three weeks at the RVI, Evelyn was transferred to the special baby care unit at the University of Durham Hospital for a further seven weeks before she could go home.
"We don’t know what triggered Sarah’s spontaneous labour and we might never find out," says Leigh, "but the important thing is that Evelyn is doing so much better now.
"While her time in hospital was one of the worst experiences of our lives, it was amazing to watch her grow and get stronger every day. She is now a sassy little 14-month-old, the happiest and funniest little girl. She still has regular follow-up appointments at the hospital, but she is doing great and reaching all her milestones."
Feeling a debt of gratitude to the Sick Children's Trust, Leigh has since completed the Great North Run to raise money for the charity in order to help other families who find themselves in a similar situation.
He's even gone further, and raised money by running the 30 miles from their home in Bridgehill to St Mary's Lighthouse in Whitley Bay.
"Having a child that is seriously ill is stressful enough without the extra worries of being miles away from their side. I wanted to support The Sick Children’s Trust so more families will have the opportunity to be supported by their ‘Homes from Home’, as we were, so they can stay close to their children when they need it most."
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