Ella’s 1st birthday fundraiser for Neo Limerick

Lisa Blennerhassett is organizing this fundraiser.

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This is Ella's story. Our beautiful baby girl Ella was born at 26 weeks gestation on 28th of May 2019 by emergency C Section. She was the smallest birthweight baby in Limerick in 2019, weighing a tiny 506grams or 1lb2oz. She was quickly whisked off by the Neonatal team to her first home. She then spent a long 132 days in the wonderful care of the staff of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in UMH Limerick.

Ella's time in NICU was a complete rollercoaster. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows. She began her life on life support machine for seven weeks, then on CPAP, hi flow and intermittent oxygen before being finally able to breathe on her own after three and a half months. Such was her critical state at the beginning, we were advised to have her baptized. During her time she battled two serious lung infections with countless drops in saturations and heart rate levels, low sodium levels, open heart vessel which had to be treated medically, four blood transfusions, low sugar levels, abscess on her thigh after Men B vaccine and retinopathy of prematurity in her eyes which resulted in a trip to Dublin by ambulance. She also got another setback after her four month vaccines and had to go back into incubator on oxygen for 24 hours. She had numerous x rays often in one day and several over the weeks, more IV and cannula lines than we can count, brain ultrasounds, morphine sedation, countless antibiotics and tube fed continuously for her first 12 weeks.

When she was 16 days old, we nearly lost her. We got a phone call at 5:30 am from Neo saying we needed to come in straight away as Ella had stopped breathing and her heart rate was dropping. After 15 minutes of CPR and 5 shots of adrenaline, she thankfully came round.

Despite all the setbacks, there were so many milestones met and achieved with the wonderful care of every single nurse, doctor, physio and dietitian - reaching her 1st kilo, coming off the ventilator successfully, first cuddles, having her first bath, moving from incubator to cot, drinking her first bottle, coming off oxygen and able to breathe independently and most importantly being able to come home after a lengthy 19 weeks. Despite having chronic lung disease to this day, she is thriving under follow up care and medical appointments. She brings so much joy and laughter every day not only to us but to her extended family and friends also.

To celebrate her 1st birthday and achieving so much in her first year, we are asking you kindly to please donate to this amazing cause. The NICU became our home away from home and what work these people do on a daily basis is nothing short of incredible. The staff were always ready to offer much needed reassurance, positivity, arm around the shoulder, a cup of tea, tissues to dry the tears, laughter, personal experiences and stories, explanations numerous times to help make sense of everything and the utmost care and love for the babies. Whatever amount raised will go towards much needed resources for the babies and their parents during one of the most stressful and emotional times in their lives. We are forever indebted to all the staff in Neo in UMH Limerick for saving our girls life and would like to give back something in return for Ella's 1st birthday.

Thank you