| £13,000 boost for Neonatal Unit |
| Written by Communications Team |
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The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St Peter’s Hospital has received a cheque for £13,050 on 22nd August 2012, which will be used to buy new equipment to help premature and sick babies. The money was raised by Rich and Lauren Compton, who spent time in the unit with their daughter Maggie last year. Lauren said: “Maggie was born on the 22nd August 2011 and we spent 19 precious days with her before she passed away. It seemed fitting to come back on her birthday and present our donation.” The money was raised through a sponsored ambulance pull, supported by over 100 people, who worked in teams to pull an ambulance from the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford to St Peter’s Hospital in Chertsey. Rich explained: “Maggie was born very prematurely at 24 weeks gestation at the Royal Surrey and then transferred by a special neonatal ambulance to St Peter’s, as they provide high level intensive care facilities for the area. It seemed appropriate to follow the 12 mile route that Maggie took in the ambulance twelve months ago.”  Rich and Lauren Compton holding the cheque in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit surrounded by members of staff. Along the way, the couple had the unexpected bonus of collecting an extra £700 from passers-by. Lauren said: “People in their cars and walking by saw us pulling the ambulance along and were keen to support our cause – we didn’t expect to receive so much though. We are shocked to have raised such a large sum of money and it feels like a great achievement in memory of Maggie. Thank you to everyone who took part and to South East Coast Ambulance Service for providing the ambulance.” “The nurses and doctors in the neonatal unit do an amazing job and for those 19 days, they really became part of our family. We are pleased that something positive is coming out of such a sad situation and feel that Maggie’s legacy is living on. Many of our family and friends came to visit and meet Maggie in the unit last year, and saw first-hand what they do. I think it has really spurred them on to support our fundraising campaign.” Dr Peter Reynolds, Consultant Neonatologist, said: “We are so grateful for this donation, which will be used to buy highly specialised ventilation equipment. The efforts and generosity of people like Rich and Lauren, who have experience of the unit and go on to raise vast sums of money, enable us to offer the very best care to other babies in the future. The set-up needed to care for these babies is complex and expensive and every penny raised will go towards new and better equipment. The entire team at St Peter’s would like to thank Rich, Lauren and everyone who took part in the ambulance pull.” |
