In October 2013, Sofia Hannah Ormerod was born at the RVI in Newcastle, some 100 miles away from our home in Whitehaven. After 3 weeks it was evident that Sofia could not be helped any further and we requested that Sofia be transferred to the Special care unit in Whitehaven. (SCBU)

West Cumbria SCBU did not have the specialised breathing equipment needed to enable Sofia to be transferred, but they kindly sent staff to Newcastle to be trained in the use of Humicare, making arrangements to borrow the equipment.

Sofia arrived at SCBU in Whitehaven on the 31^st October 2013, with a life expectancy of just hours. We were welcomed as friends and Sofia was treated like a princess. The Team at SCBU helped our family and Sofia to deal with the very darkest of hours, caring for our every need.

Unexpectedly, Sofia confounded all the predictions of the Doctors and after 4 weeks living in the unit, Sofia was allowed to come home- with lots of support and a boot load of medicine and equipment.

Sofia was born with Edwards Syndrome, which limited her life to just 10 weeks. Every minute was special for our family and SCBU ensured that we were able to make the very best of that time. 

SCBU in Whitehaven continues to help babies and families from across West Cumbria, but they need additional funding to enable them to continue to make the experience special.

Our Sparkles for Sofia Ball to be held on 31^st October 2015 at the Seacote Hotel in St Bees, will be an opportunity to celebrate Sofia’s  life and to raise funds for our SCBU.

We know that not everyone will be able to attend, so please help us by making a donation on our page.  The Charity is administered for SCBU by the North Cumbria University hospital trust.

The family of Sofia are immensely grateful for the compassion and care of the staff of Whitehaven  SCBU.

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