The Sick Children’s Trust is a charity that we didn’t know about, not at least until the worst happened. The very worst. Our child was taken to a hospital far from home and we were left feeling stranded.
I was on my way to Sheffield with my poorly baby, Etta, all alone having left my husband behind with Etta’s twin, Teddy, and our four year old Martha. Etta was just six days old and had caught the flu but it became much more serious as she was experiencing breathing apnoea, where she would stop breathing. She soon lost the ability to breathe and was put on a ventilator which is when our local hospital in Scunthorpe decided to transfer her to Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
I would’ve slept on the chair by Etta’s bedside had it not been for The Sick Children’s Trust. The charity gave me a place to stay at both its Magnolia and Treetop Houses, which meant I managed to get some rest and didn’t have to worry about being too far from Etta.
I was so relieved to know that I would have somewhere to stay, I hadn’t thought past getting Etta the help she needed but to know that I had somewhere to stay where I could be nearby was just amazing. The staff at Magnolia House were wonderful and so friendly which made a horrible situation seem much less scary.
Etta was in hospital for a week and made a full recovery and started to breathe on her on. I was able to bring her home and reunite her with Teddy and Martha. If you met Etta now you wouldn’t believe she’d spent a week in hospital on a ventilator, she is doing incredibly well and has just celebrated her first birthday.
2020 was a strange year to say the least, and I know that The Sick Children’s Trust has continued to be there for families like mine despite the pandemic. I run a company, Audrey and Coco, making cards to spread a little bit of love. Since Etta was in hospital, my family have been fundraising through facebook but I thought donating through my cards would be another regular way to raise funds for The Sick Children’s Trust.
We never imagined that we would need a charity’s help, and it made such a huge difference to me when Etta was in hospital. You never think it will happen, but it could to you, your family or friends one day so I would encourage you to think about supporting this amazing charity.
Emma Blaik, Etta, Teddy and Martha’s mum
To view Emma’s range of cards, visit: www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AudreyCoco
