Jakob’s Story
Donation protected
Hi Everyone!! Our names are Haylee & Ellise
and it is with great sadness that we have started this campaign with the hopes to help raise funds for our dearest friends and family Kirsten & James Gibbons who have sadly and unexpectedly lost their 14 day old son Jakob.
THE BACKSTORY
With an overwhelming joy, first time parents James & Kirsten Gibbons, welcomed their son Jakob James Gibbons into the world at Blacktown hospital on 19.04.2018.
With hearts bursting with joy, James and Kirsten brought their new baby home. He was proudly introduced to their family and friends.


Prior to being discharged from hospital after the birth, Jakob was assessed by doctors as per protocol. Kirsten & James raised their concerns of Jakobs breathing however were dismissed as “its normal for newborns and nothing to worry about”
Despite this advice Kirsten & James stayed vigilant and had noticed the frequency of his breathing difficulties so they sought advice from friends and family.
On Sunday night 29.04.18 they realised Jakob was reluctant to feed and less responsive so they rushed him to Blacktown Hospital where several tests were ran. They flushed his body with fluid in hopes to clear out what was in his system. This caused Jakob to have ongoing seizures and it quickly became evident something very serious was wrong. Jakob was then rushed to Westmead Childrens Hospital and admitted into NICU where he was then diagnosed with GBS (Group B Strep).
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/ConditionsAndTreatments/streptococcal-infection-group-b
“Only a few babies who are exposed to GBS become infected, but GBS can cause babies to be miscarried, stillborn, or become very sick and sometimes even die after birth. GBS most commonly causes infection in the blood (sepsis), the fluid and lining of the brain (meningitis), and lungs (pneumonia). Some GBS survivors experience handicaps such as blindness, deafness, mental challenges, and/or cerebral palsy.”
With antibiotics and prayer Jakob pushed on for 2 days. He had sadly suffered severe brain damage causing permanent blindness and deafness. The doctors advised that there was nothing more that they could do, family and friends all gathered to say their final goodbyes.
Jakobs parents decided to slowly drop the dosage of his medication as the time to turn off his life support approached in hope that it would be easier on his little body. Jakob fought as much as he could before he took his last breaths in the presence of his Parents on Wednesday 2nd May 2018.



During this time, we witnessed strong parents who were brought to their knees in such a heartbreaking way. The future they had planned has been ripped away from them.
On behalf of Kirsten and James, we ask for your help in order to financially assist these parents with the opportunity to do one last thing for their baby. - To be able to give him a send off he deserves and help support them. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you all for your generosity.
Till we meet again, Jakob James Gibbons
19.04.18 - 02.05.18 ❤️
EDIT
Thank you all so much for your generosity. Blessed are those who give with a giving heart. We have such an awesome community and we are all forever greatful for all the kindness and support we have received in the past 48 hours. Prior to creating this campaign for our dear friends we were not advised of the additional costs that will have to be put forward to give young Jakob the funeral service that he deserves. Unaware of the funeral requirements and expense of the desired headstone, we have had to increase our goal amount in the hope that we may be able to not only give Jakob the service that he deserves but to also allow Kirsten and James the time to grieve without the pressures of returning to work.
- To all those who have already kindly donated. THANK YOU.
- To those who wish they could donate but are not in any financial position to do so, we ask that you share this post to not only help our friends but to also raise awareness on GBS.
Thank you in advance ❤️
and it is with great sadness that we have started this campaign with the hopes to help raise funds for our dearest friends and family Kirsten & James Gibbons who have sadly and unexpectedly lost their 14 day old son Jakob.
THE BACKSTORY
With an overwhelming joy, first time parents James & Kirsten Gibbons, welcomed their son Jakob James Gibbons into the world at Blacktown hospital on 19.04.2018.
With hearts bursting with joy, James and Kirsten brought their new baby home. He was proudly introduced to their family and friends.
Prior to being discharged from hospital after the birth, Jakob was assessed by doctors as per protocol. Kirsten & James raised their concerns of Jakobs breathing however were dismissed as “its normal for newborns and nothing to worry about”
Despite this advice Kirsten & James stayed vigilant and had noticed the frequency of his breathing difficulties so they sought advice from friends and family.
On Sunday night 29.04.18 they realised Jakob was reluctant to feed and less responsive so they rushed him to Blacktown Hospital where several tests were ran. They flushed his body with fluid in hopes to clear out what was in his system. This caused Jakob to have ongoing seizures and it quickly became evident something very serious was wrong. Jakob was then rushed to Westmead Childrens Hospital and admitted into NICU where he was then diagnosed with GBS (Group B Strep).
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/ConditionsAndTreatments/streptococcal-infection-group-b
“Only a few babies who are exposed to GBS become infected, but GBS can cause babies to be miscarried, stillborn, or become very sick and sometimes even die after birth. GBS most commonly causes infection in the blood (sepsis), the fluid and lining of the brain (meningitis), and lungs (pneumonia). Some GBS survivors experience handicaps such as blindness, deafness, mental challenges, and/or cerebral palsy.”
With antibiotics and prayer Jakob pushed on for 2 days. He had sadly suffered severe brain damage causing permanent blindness and deafness. The doctors advised that there was nothing more that they could do, family and friends all gathered to say their final goodbyes.
Jakobs parents decided to slowly drop the dosage of his medication as the time to turn off his life support approached in hope that it would be easier on his little body. Jakob fought as much as he could before he took his last breaths in the presence of his Parents on Wednesday 2nd May 2018.

During this time, we witnessed strong parents who were brought to their knees in such a heartbreaking way. The future they had planned has been ripped away from them.
On behalf of Kirsten and James, we ask for your help in order to financially assist these parents with the opportunity to do one last thing for their baby. - To be able to give him a send off he deserves and help support them. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you all for your generosity.
Till we meet again, Jakob James Gibbons
19.04.18 - 02.05.18 ❤️
EDIT
Thank you all so much for your generosity. Blessed are those who give with a giving heart. We have such an awesome community and we are all forever greatful for all the kindness and support we have received in the past 48 hours. Prior to creating this campaign for our dear friends we were not advised of the additional costs that will have to be put forward to give young Jakob the funeral service that he deserves. Unaware of the funeral requirements and expense of the desired headstone, we have had to increase our goal amount in the hope that we may be able to not only give Jakob the service that he deserves but to also allow Kirsten and James the time to grieve without the pressures of returning to work.
- To all those who have already kindly donated. THANK YOU.
- To those who wish they could donate but are not in any financial position to do so, we ask that you share this post to not only help our friends but to also raise awareness on GBS.
Thank you in advance ❤️
Organizer
Haylee Marsh
Organizer
Maraetai, NZ