A Billericay dad has organised his eighth annual charity golf day to raise vital funds for charity, The Sick Children’s Trust, which gave him a place to stay close to his daughter’s hospital bedside.
Ross Ferrington raised £4,631 for The Sick Children’s Trust after 100 amateur golfers attended his event, held at Burstead Golf Club on 21 June 2019. The money will go towards supporting families across the charity’s ten free ‘Homes from Home’ with seriously ill children in hospitals.
“It all happened so quickly and I remember vividly that Eva didn’t cry because she was struggling to breathe. Doctors immediately took her away and it wasn’t until a day later that we saw her again.”
In April 2017, Eva, Ross’ little girl, was born prematurely at 27 weeks plus three days gestation, weighing just 830 grams. She spent ten days receiving treatment to regulate her blood pressure at The Royal London Hospital, over 31 miles away from her family’s home. Ross and his partner Charlie were never separated from Eva during this time as the family were supported by The Sick Children’s Trust at its Stevenson House, a stone’s throw away from the hospital. Ross, a Project Manager for Transport for London, said:
“It all happened so quickly and I remember vividly that Eva didn’t cry because she was struggling to breathe. Doctors immediately took her away and it wasn’t until a day later that we saw her again. We were shocked to see that there was no fat on her at all, she was almost see-through. The doctors were having problems regulating her blood pressure, and they didn’t have the facilities at Basildon Hospital to look after her, therefore we were transferred to The Royal London Children’s Hospital which was miles away from home.
“When Charlie and I arrived at The Royal London Hospital, we were introduced to The Sick Children’s Trust and its Stevenson House where we stayed throughout Eva’s time in hospital and it was amazing. It would have made the situation even more stressful without having a place to stay. With no parking by the hospital my wife would have struggled to get around having to use a wheel chair for some time as a result of her caesarean. I’m not sure what we would have done without The Sick Children’s Trust’s support, it was so much more than just a roof over our heads.
“Eva is now two and doing amazingly well, she is such a character. She is very happy smiley, little cheeky monkey.”
Stevenson House is one of ten ‘Homes from Home’ run by The Sick Children’s Trust, which relies entirely on voluntary donations to support around 3,500 families every year. Stevenson House Manager, Imtiaz Pathan, said:
“This is an incredible amount that Ross has raised through his golf day and we really appreciate his support. This money will ensure more families can stay just minutes away from their child’s bedside. On behalf of everyone at The Sick Children’s Trust and all the families we support, I’d like to say a massive thank you to Ross and all those that took part.”
