Family of baby born with bowels on outside of body raise £3,775 to thank the charity that kept them together

The parents of a baby girl who underwent lifesaving surgery when she was just a few hours old have raised £3,775 for The Sick Children’s Trust as thanks for supporting them with free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation.

Daisy Baldwin, 25, and Will Wakefield, 26, from Leigh-on-Sea, organised a fundraiser at Barru Bar and Kitchen on Saturday 10 February to thank the charity for keeping them by their daughter’s hospital bedside when she required major surgery at The Royal London Children’s Hospital – miles away from home.

When Daisy and Will went for their 12 week scan they were devastated to find out that there was something wrong with their baby, Nelly. Doctors at Southend University Hospital told the worried parents that Nelly had developed a condition known as gastroschisis, a developmental defect where the abdominal wall does not develop completely so the intestines develop outside of the body. Mum, Daisy, who works for global consulting firm North Highland, says:

“It was devastating to find out that there was something wrong with Nelly and so worrying to know that she would need an operation as soon as she was born. But the doctors reassured Will and me that there were no other complications and that Nelly would be delivered at King’s College Hospital so she could receive the necessary care. However, Nelly arrived early at 34 weeks and there wasn’t a cot at King’s College Hospital so we were transferred to The Royal London Hospital instead.

“Within 12 hours of being born Nelly’s intestines were put back inside her body and she was placed on the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The hospital was so far from our home and the thought of being separated from Nelly during a huge time of uncertainty was very scary, but the nurses on NICU put us in touch with The Sick Children’s Trust. The charity runs a place called Stevenson House which was located just minutes from Nelly’s bedside and we were told we could have a room there. It was a real lifeline for us.”

The Sick Children’s Trust runs ten ‘Homes from Home’ across the country, supporting families like Nelly’s with free accommodation whilst their child is being treated in hospital. Daisy and Will stayed at Stevenson House for six weeks. Now, six months on Nelly is thriving and to celebrate her speedy recovery and thank The Sick Children’s Trust, her parents held the fundraiser.

The couple had already raised over £2,000 before the event, but on the night raised a further £1,775 having sold around 100 tickets at £7 each. Daisy adds:

“It was such a great evening and everyone was so generous all night long. I would like to thank local DJ Dan Barnes, double glazing installer, Windowfix, who provided the food and all those who donated amazing prizes to the raffle.

“While having an amazing night, everyone who came along learnt a little bit more about The Sick Children’s Trust and the vital work the charity does around the country which is what we hoped for.”

The Sick Children’s Trust relies entirely on voluntary donations and it costs the charity £30 to support a family for one night. Vicki Roots, Community Fundraising Officer at The Sick Children’s Trust, says:

“Thanks to Daisy and her kind family and friends, they have covered the cost of 125 nights of accommodation across our ten ‘Homes from Home’ which we are so grateful for. As a charity, it costs £30 to support a family for one night in a ‘Home from Home’ so their efforts will help us to support many other families who have a seriously ill child in hospital.

“We are delighted that Nelly is now doing so well and that her family are on a mission to fundraise for us!”

To support Nelly’s family on their fundraising mission, please visit the Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/daisy-baldwin1

For further information about The Sick Children’s Trust, please visit: http://www.sickchildrenstrust.org