Mum’s praise to charity after bedside vigils
A HALIFAX mum is thanking the charity The Sick Children’s Trust for giving her a place to stay when both her sons were born seriously premature and needed emergency treatment.
Lucy Vickerman was rushed to Leeds General Infirmary in 2017 when her waters broke at just 23 weeks pregnant.
Two days later she gave birth to her first son Tobias who weighed just 600g.
At five days old Tobias developed an infection in his bowel and needed surgery to partially remove it.
While Lucy and her husband Edward thought this had been successful, just 12 hours later Tobias’ condition deteriorated and he was diagnosed with a secondary infection and sepsis.
Tobias went into cardiac arrest and although doctors were able to revive him, due to his extreme prematurity and complications his parents were told that there was nothing more that could be done for Tobias.
At just eight days old, Tobias sadly passed away. Throughout this time, Lucy and Edward could always be by his side as they were supported by The Sick Children’s Trust’s ‘Home from Home’ Eckersley House, located just a few minutes’ walk from the hospital.
After Tobias passed away little did Lucy know a year later they would be back staying there when their other son Sebastian was also born premature at 25 weeks.
Sebastian was born by caesarean in Leeds weighing just 670g and he was suffering from similar health problems as Tobias.
“Edward and I were living through the same nightmare all over again and as much as I tried to push the thought from my head I couldn’t help but think we were going to lose Sebastian too,” she said.
“Thankfully though he didn’t develop any major infections and after eight weeks we were transferred back to our local hospital.
“It was comforting being back in Leeds as all the staff remembered us, as did those at Eckersley House. It was a great support for us to be back in a familiar surrounding at and it really did become a ‘Home from Home’ for us where our eldest son Thomas and my stepdaughter Eleanor could come and visit us all. We can’t thank the charity enough for their support.”
We can’t thank
The Sick Children’s Trust’s Home from Home enough for their support.”
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