Lily Hepworth Charity Auction

Lily Hepworth Fundraising
START
20
October 2016
12:00 PM BST
END
20
November 2016
06:00 PM GMT

About Our Auction

We are raising money for Bliss and First Touch Charities


About Lily Hepworth Fundraising

Our daughter Lily was born on 2nd March 2016. It would be something of an understatement to say she took us by surprise as she was not due until mid-June. However, due to pregnancy complications, Lily arrived by emergency C-section, 15 weeks premature, weighing in at a mind-boggling 1lb 1oz (or 495g).

At the time of her birth, we had no idea that it was possible for a premature baby to survive in that situation. Lily spent her first 6 months in hospital battling through all manner of hurdles: receiving significant support with her breathing and overcoming infections, a collapsed lung, NEC (necrotizing enterocolitis), kidney failure, problems with weight gain, brittle bones (leading to a fractured femur!), extensive laser eye surgery and well over 20 blood transfusions.

The fact that she has now been home with us since September is nothing short of miraculous and is testament to the exceptional level of care provided by the neo-natal unit at St Georges Hospital in Tooting (and the amazing NHS).

In honour of our miracle baby girl (who is now 7 months old and weighs almost 11lbs/4.8kg) we are celebrating World Prematurity Day on November 17th and raising money for First Touch and Bliss charities.

The Charities
First Touch charity supports sick and premature babies specifically at the NNU (neo-natal unit) at St Georges Hospital in Tooting - http://www.first-touch.org.uk/ (where Lily was born and resided for her first 6 months). The charity is dedicated to directly fund equipment and projects to improve the outcomes for the babies and their families.

Bliss, a national charity supporting sick and premature babies and their families across the UK - https://www.bliss.org.uk/ also funds equipment and family support as well as working with the NHS raising awareness, creating publications and supporting research on a larger scale.

Learn More