Father's Day fundraisers hope to raise hundreds
Two Kent-based dads will spend this Father’s Day giving back - lacing up their trainers and raising money for East Kent Hospitals Charity.
Jack Davey, 31, will be running the Saxon Shore Half Marathon to raise funds for the neonatal teams who cared for his newborn son, Leo, after a traumatic birth in May last year.
Leo needed resuscitation at birth and was transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at William Harvey Hospital, while mum Ella remained under observation at QEQM due to risk of preeclampsia. Baby Leo spent time in both NICU and the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) at QEQM.
Jack, a graphic designer from Herne Bay, said: “We’d like to extend our thanks - for the hundredth time - to our midwives, the teams in SCBU in both QEQM and William Harvey, and the NICU team at William Harvey. The staff in all units were always so helpful and positive and I will be forever in debt to them all.
“They made things so much easier with their upbeat attitude and couldn’t do enough for us. This is my opportunity to give back to those that helped save Leo.”
Father of two Luke Jackson, 35, will be taking on the London to Brighton Bike Ride - just a day after his 36th birthday - to raise money for Twinkling Stars suite at the William Harvey Hospital.
This is a dedicated space for grieving parents to spend time with their baby, supported by specialist bereavement midwives, away from the hustle and bustle of the maternity wards. It originally opened in 2018 but a new suite is due to open soon.
Luke, a welder from Sittingbourne, is married to community midwife Vikki and she inspired him to support this service.
Luke said: “I have seen first-hand through Vikki’s work the care and support provided to those families going through a bereavement. Those families are going through such an emotional and tough time and I wanted to give something back.”
Vikki said: “I’m super proud of Luke’s hard work and dedication. He’s such an inspiration to me and our two children - though I’m happier cheering him on than joining him on a bike!”
Find out more about the events on offer to raise money for East Kent Hospitals Charity: https://www.ekhcharity.org.uk/events/
If you would like to support Jack and Luke’s Father’s Day challenges, you can find their fundraising pages here: