Carly Evans – whose daughter and son were both born naturally at 29 weeks – is running London Landmarks Half Marathon in March 2019 for charity, Bliss.
Miss Evans said of the charity: “The main reason I’m running is to give back for what Bliss do medical wise, to make sure our babies are here today, fit and healthy.
“They are miracle workers and if I can give something back and maybe help another family, even if it’s in the slightest, I will be happy.”
Bliss
– which was founded in 1979 – is a charity in the UK for babies
born premature or sick.
It was founded after a group of concerned
parents noticed that no hospital had the equipment or trained staff
to safely care for vulnerable babies.
Their mission is to be as
involved as possible in the process of caring for sick or premature
babies, supporting research that will enable better outcomes, and
supporting neonatal professionals to deliver high quality care for
babies.
In
2011, Carly gave birth to her first child, Daisy-Rae, in Liverpool
Women’s Hospital.
Her daughter weighed 3lb 4oz at birth but
dropped down to 2lb 6oz.
Daisy-Rae was on the unit for just over
seven weeks but was able to go home almost four weeks before her due
date.
Carly said: “I witnessed first-hand how stressful it is for parents’ to support their baby while being so far away from home.
“I was lucky enough that I lived close to get to and from the unit, but families travelling far were given phenomenal support by Bliss.”
The 27-year-olds second child, Jude, was born in 2017 at Arrowe Park Hospital, weighing 3lb 2oz.
He
was transferred to the Liverpool Women’s Hospital when he was one
week old and remained there for five more weeks.
Carly said:
“Daisy took a long time to gain weight and strength after dropping
down to 2lb 6oz.
“Jude was like a mini superman. He only lost 2oz and gained weight straight away.”
Miss Evans spent a lot of time on the neonatal unit alone and spoke to numerous consultants, doctors and nurses.
“The information they give you is a lot to take in all at once and remember”, she explained.
“But the staff at Bliss help you to understand exactly where the babies are up to and are there to reassure you.
“The care my own two had was unbelievable and I will be forever grateful to everyone involved in getting them stronger and back home with me both times.”
You can donate to Carly Evans’ charity half marathon here: