Dylan’s NICU Fundraiser

Dylan Driver was born in a storm under a full moon on February 9th 2020. 

He was born in the water at the end of a wonderful planned home-birth, after which, everything went a bit wrong. He wasn’t breathing and had no heartrate. Daddy and the attending midwives resuscitated him, and he was rushed to Worcester Royal Hospital by ambulance, where he was ventilated, cooled, given anti seizure medication, and rushed again to Heartlands Hospital in Birmingham where he was placed in the NICU. We were told he’d suffered oxygen starvation and his brain had been damaged.

Initially, his EEG showed no activity and his consultant suggested that she wanted to stop the cooling process early, and remove his life support. She planned to take him off the anti-seizure drugs to see if they were suppressing his brain activity, but that she didn’t expect to see any change. 

She was wrong! 

The following morning he had some brain activity and she decided to keep him on the cooling process for longer. 

After he’d finished that and was rewarmed (without anything more seizures!) he was able to be moved back to Worcester which was wonderful as a week of driving between Malvern and Birmingham was taking its toll on the whole family. 

We came to Worcester NICU and everything changed. He became a lot more alert and annoyed by his breathing tube, and by the Saturday was determined to have it out. We swallowed hard, dug deep and decided to trust him that he could breathe. His tube was removed, and - he did it. He breathed. And he’s carried on breathing independently. He’s putting on weight, moving, looking around, crying. Doing all the things an average baby does. He’s undeniably got some brain damage and will likely be affected by that to an unknown degree in the future, but he’s been given the best chance of having a great life, thanks to the INCREDIBLE team of doctors and nurses at Heartlands and Worcester NICU. These people are absolute angels. Working under immense pressure with very few resources, they do 12+ hour shifts without complaint, and the love they show to the little ones in their care is so hugely reassuring. 

Over the two weeks we were in hospital, they all made us feel so cared for, at home, and that they truly loved our son and were doing their very best for him.

That’s why we want to fundraise for the NICU departments at Worcester and Heartlands hospitals. 

Whatever we make through this fundraiser will be split between them both. 

Thank you so much for donating - what happened to us is rare but can happen to anyone - and these angels will be always be there to help.