Thank you for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

We are excited to announce that our 6th Push for Prem sponsored walk will be on Sunday 12th July 2015 at 11am outside the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton. 

We are a small group of Prem parents who organise this walk which has gone from strength to strength and would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped us raise so much money over the past years.

This year we will be splitting the money raised between 

1) The Early Birth Association who will be purchasing vital equipment for the Trevor Mann Baby Unit (TMBU) in Brighton as well as the PRH Special Care Baby Unit in Haywards Heath 

2) The Sussex Neonatal Ambulance Service will also be buying essential equipment. They provide a vital service transferring babies in a special equipped ambulance with a specialised neonatal team consisting of a doctor and a nurse practitioner from units that don’t have the facilities to cope with extreme prematurity giving them the best possible chance of survival. 

The Trevor Mann Baby Unit (TMBU) and PRH Special Care Baby Unit is a place close to many of our hearts. It has been an extremely emotional rollercoaster of a journey having a premature baby. Nothing could have prepared us for it. We have met so many wonderful people, made some amazing lifelong friends along the way who have shared the highs and the almighty lows of our experiences, we cried, we laughed and we lived in fear for our babies lives. 

We owe so much to the dedicated staff, not only did they save our babies lives but they kept our spirits up when our babies were undergoing major surgery and supported those of us that sadly lost babies. These little ones are miracles and really have been through so much: numerous bowel operations, hernia operations, laser eye surgery, lumbar punctures, day to day blood tests, constant canulars, countless blood transfusions and fighting off constant infections week after week. Crazy to think some of these babies were born as small as 1lb and could fit in the palm of your hand!

We will be meeting outside The Royal Sussex County Hospital at 11am on Sunday 12th July 2015 and walking to Hove Lagoon (approx 4 miles) where we will then stop for a picnic (please bring your own food). Some of us will be walking in memory or our little ones that sadly didn’t make it and as such after the picnic there will be a short speech by Catherine followed by a balloon release in memory of these children. If you have sadly lost a little one and would like to release a balloon on the day you are more than welcome. Please bring a balloon(s) with you. 

Everyone is welcome to join us – the more the merrier. You don’t have to have had a prem baby. The more people who take part in this sponsored walk the more money we will raise. All we ask is for a small donation of £2 per adult and £1 per child paid on the day. All money raised will go towards our final amount raised.

Every year many of our dads brave the weather and dress up as nurses to raise money and even more awareness along the route. If you or anyone you know would like to dress up please do get in touch you won’t be alone! 

The day is a fantastic way of celebrating how far our little miracles have come and to remember those that sadly cannot be with us. It’s also a way to meet lots of like minded parents and friends along the way.

Please dig deep, donate and share this page as much as you can. It truly is an amazing cause – thank you

Catherine, Chantal, Sam and Wendy xxxx

The Push for Prems 2015 team