Paige and Jack's Story
Harry – the first baby of Jack and Paige – was born at 26 weeks...
Harry – the first baby of Jack and Paige – was born at 26 weeks. Paige is an adult nurse, so being on the other side with her son in NICU was an overwhelming experience.
Harry was born at 26 weeks at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, after Paige developed preeclampsia. Harry had restricted growth – he weighed a tiny 450g, and had a low survival rate, but he lived for 141 days.
Throughout Harry’s short life he was on and off the ventilator due to poorly developed lungs; he had sepsis, line infections, cardiac arrests and a perforated bowel, leading to a stoma being formed.
Harry always put up a fight, and he was well known at NICU at John Radcliffe, as were Jack and Paige. They were both always at Harry’s cot side, and never missed a doctor’s round as they were able to live at Ronald McDonald House on the hospital grounds.
Paige explains: “Without on-site accommodation, we would have had to make a 120-mile trip there and back to Oxford each day, so we’ll be forever grateful for this facility that kept us so close to Harry.”
Jack and Paige felt that the team on NICU were like a family to them – from the doctors, to the nurses, to the receptionists and all of the SSNAP family: “The ladies from SSNAP came round the NICU each day and provided emotional support, meal vouchers,
snacks and were Harry’s regular supporters. SSNAP had previously set up the NICU on an app called V-Create which allows the nurses to send photos, videos and updates to parents, so even in the middle of the night we always knew how Harry was doing.”
After 118 days at the JR, Harry was moved to Gosset Ward at Northampton General Hospital, but sadly passed away 23 days later. Paige and Jack’s aim is to forever keep Harry’s memory alive and they are dedicated to help providing support for babies and families in NICU like they experienced with Harry.
Paige concludes: “On 13 October, 18 of us will be running Oxford Half Marathon for SSNAP in memory of Harry – we would be so grateful for any donations, and know how helpful they will be. Thank you for taking the time to read our story.”
