Family fun day for Incubator appeal
Raheel Akhtar was born ten weeks premature at Heartlands Hospital and was looked after on the Neonatal Unit, now his family want to give back to the unit that cared for him.
Shabnum, Raheel’s mum, and their family hosted a family fun day at the Kidmat Centre in Small Heath for the Incubator appeal at Heartlands Hospital Charity to celebrate World Prematurity Day on 17 November.
After being born ten weeks premature and spending his first seven weeks of life on the Neonatal Unit, Raheel is now nine years old and ready to give back!
Shabnum said: “I saw how much hard work the unit does and I wanted to help raise money for them. My son is now nine and thriving at school so I feel now is the best time to give something back.”
The Incubator appeal at Heartlands and Good Hope hospitals is a £150,000 appeal to help bring seven brand new state-of-the-art incubators to the hospitals. The hospitals combined deliver around 11,000 babies a year, and over 1,000 of these need the special care of the Neonatal Units.
Some babies are born up to four months early, and can weigh as little as one pound. These tiny babies require intensive care and support on the Neonatal Units.
The new incubators will include all of the equipment that the staff need to treat tiny babies, removing the stress of moving them from bed to bed in such a critical environment. They allow much easier access to the baby for nurses and parents, without causing any heat loss.
Bhavna Gokani, Head Nurse in the Paediatrics Department at Heartlands Hospital, said: “The new incubators would make a huge difference to the babies that we treat, their families, and the staff on the unit.
"This new equipment would make the Neonatal Unit a world-class facility and with your help, we will be able to provide the very best care for the tiny, vulnerable babies on the unit.”
To help us reach our target, why don’t you set up a Prematuri-tea for World Prematurity Day? To find out more information on how to set one up and to receive your free fundraising pack, please email Sabrina.Hussaine@uhb.nhs.uk.
To donate to the Incubator appeal, please click here.
