A Bimble for Bertie and Frolic for Fern: Harper community raise money for staff members’ babies

Members of Harper Adams University's Animals, Vet Nursing and Vet Physio departments have shown how the strength of our community can make a real difference.

Together over the past 10 weeks, they have been collectively walking, hiking and running the distance of the England coastal path, approximately 2700 miles, and raising money for two very worthy charities at the same time.

Funds raised will be donated to the LimbBo Foundation and Ronald McDonald House Charities for the invaluable support they have given to Harper Adams staff members Carly Atkinson, Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Physiotherapy and Emma Wilson, Senior Lecturer in Animal Science.

Senior Lecturer in Veterinary Nursing, Linzi Nuttall, was behind the fundraising effort, organising the challenge and setting up the JustGiving pages.

She said: “As a team we are walking in support of our work colleagues to raise money for these amazing charities who have already had a profound impact on their lives. Your donations, no matter how small, will make a real difference to the lives of families like Emma and Carly’s.”

Speaking after completing the challenge she said: “We successfully completed our challenge last week. It was fantastic to be able to support our colleagues and the charities that have been so invaluable to them.

“At Harper, the sense of community, compassion and support is something that we value so highly – and this challenge is a perfect example of just that."

Hear their stories.

Emma, Simon and Bertie’s story

At their 20-week pregnancy scan, Bertie was diagnosed with oesophageal atresia, which meant that his oesophagus was not connected to his stomach. Emma and Simon were advised that once Bertie was born, he would be transferred down to Birmingham Children’s Hospital to receive treatment and have an operation to correct this once he was big enough. Because milk could not reach his stomach, at one day old, Bert underwent surgery to fit a tube into his stomach to feed Emma’s breast milk, with Emma and Simon rarely leaving his side.

At three weeks old, Bert became critically ill with sepsis due to further digestive complications that required surgery when he was well enough. He =has had a total of 8 general anaesthetics and 5 blood transfusions during his 16-week stay in hospital. The procedure to connect the oesophagus to the stomach involved three major surgeries where Bert was sedated and ventilated in intensive care for 12 days.

Emma and Simon were able to be by Bert’s side throughout his 16-week stay in hospital thanks to the Ronald McDonald House, Birmingham.

Emma said: “Ronald McDonald House Birmingham has been an amazing support to both Simon and I during our 16-week stay. It has enabled us to be with Bert every day. We’ve been able to cook some homemade meals and rest our weary heads when sometimes the stress and noise of a neonatal surgical ward was just too much.

 “We have been able to have friends and family come to support us and celebrate Christmas and our 40th birthdays, providing us with the lift we needed when going through the most stressful time of our lives.

“Simon was able to return to work knowing that Ronald McDonald was right next door to the hospital, and it was safe for me to walk back from the ward late at night. The staff have been incredible, warm and welcoming and always asked about Bertie’s progress. Ronald McDonald Charity House is a truly special place, and we need to do our bit to raise awareness to help support future families who are facing the most difficult times.”

So far they have raised an incredible £655 of their £1000 target. You can still donate to their JustGiving Page here.

Carly, Joe and Fern’s story

At their 20-week pregnancy scan, Carly and Joe found out that their baby, Fern, had Proximal Focal Femoral Deficiency, a rare condition where the femur is shorter than it should be, or sometimes even absent. It occurs spontaneously and isn't believed to have a genetic cause.

Carly said: “As you can imagine, this was a scary time, especially due to the rarity of the condition and the lack of information out there.

“As first-time parents, we didn't really know where to turn for support. The doctors were helpful in discussing future options for Fern, but what we wanted and needed were other parents who had been through or were going through similar experiences.

“We also wished to meet other parents and children with limb differences so as she grows and becomes more aware, Fern understands that she isn't the only one out there, and that her little leg should never ever hold her back.

“That's when we discovered the LimbBo Foundation charity through Facebook. We were immediately struck by their child-centred and family-friendly focused ethos. We reached out to them, and they sent us a free new parents information pack, including information booklets that we can later share with Fern's nursery and school about supporting a child with a limb difference.

“Fern is now seven months old and continues to astound us with her strength and resilience. She is such a happy smiley baby and is so determined to be on the move. She has met all her milestones and uses her little leg to propel herself around. We're just waiting for her to crawl now! Fern doesn't know she is any different, so adapts accordingly. When your child is diagnosed with something so rare it is easy to feel alone, but we hope that, as Fern grows, LimbBo will be like our extended family.”

You can still donate to their JustGiving Page here.