Simon Anderson

I am raising money for the Royal Children's Hospital and I would welcome any contribution, great or small, that you could make. At home in February 2024 and with Lily being less than 2 months old, she started to slow her breathing and only took a breath between long pauses. It got progressively slowly and longer and I called an ambulance which came as quickly as it could and cut off her clothes on our kitchen bench and attached breathing apparatus. Her oxygen saturation levels were around 40 when they should be 90 or so. The paramedics were able to stabilise Lily's breathing, lift her oxygen saturation levels and rushed her to hospital. Upon entering the emergency department at RCH I was immediately told to step back and take a seat as she was having a seizure. Machines beeped furiously and a team of medical staff swamped Lily as I sat in the corner. A few minutes passed and after a few immediate tests, things settled again. That night I shadowed Lily as we entered many different rooms for scans and tests of Lily's brain and heart. Things settled over a few days and we were able to take her home later that week without much clarity beyond it being an isolated incident caused by low sodium levels from a medication for Lily's condition of Hyperinsulinism which was diagnosed at birth. There were no immediate signs of damage to Lily's body and function but the only way we would know is through her development. 

It's been a bit over 12 months and we are happy to say that she has been progressing very well, albeit a little more slowly than her twin brother Freddie. The two of them are inseparable and nothing warms our hearts than seeing Lily, Freddie and even older brother Teddy playing together and smiling (and going for runs). I am planning to tackle the 14 km course with Lily and Freddie in the double running pram which seems appropriate for the occasion.

Please donate what you can to assist the RCH in continuing to do it's good work for families like ours and also enable more funding for families to more easily get treatment and get the support they need to spend time with their loved ones while visiting. It's been a long journey for us and we are grateful the RCH was there to respond and change Lily's life for the better.