‘NICU teams gave my son a chance at life’
A mum whose son was born more than four months early, weighing just 600g, has thanked the hospital teams who gave him a chance at life.
Roisin Morrison shared her story for a video accompanying a charity Christmas single raising money for the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, where baby Kilian has spent the past 10 weeks.
He was born by caesarean section at 23 weeks and one day, after her waters broke at 22 weeks. Pregnancies usually last for 40 weeks, with babies considered only borderline viable before 24 weeks.
Roisin, 37, said: “I wouldn’t have my son if it was not for the teams in this hospital. They gave him a chance at life.
“They are absolutely brilliant, and the care is unreal. I trust them totally and they treat him like he is their own.
“Every single professional is amazing and as soon as I walked in I felt calm, which is a very special feeling.”
Roisin lives in Canvey Island, in Essex, but was transferred to the William Harvey Hospital as teams were equipped to care for baby Kilian. She is living on site in a dedicated flat for parents of babies in NICU, which was recently refurbished by East Kent Hospitals Charity.
She said: “I have three other children at home so it has been really difficult, and the flat is a godsend.
“On a good day, it takes two hours to get here so coming back and forth every day just wouldn’t be possible.
“I’m so grateful to the charity for everything they have done. When I arrived, I was given a care package with everything I could possibly need, from knitted squares I could sleep with then leave with the baby, to a special bag to store expressed milk.
“When Kilian is home I will definitely be doing some fundraising to say thank you, but for now I was delighted to be able to help by taking part in the video.”
Baby Kilian now weighs more than four pounds, and plans are being made to transfer his care to a hospital closer to the family home.
Roisin said: “He is such a fighter. He came out crying, although he looked like a little mouse.
“He is doing really well, and is where he should be for his gestation. I know we are in the best place for him but it will be good to be nearer home.
“His due date wasn’t until mid-January, so we weren’t expecting him until after Christmas, and now I’m hoping we can be home with him in the New Year.”
The video was produced to accompany the song produced by the Marsh family, from Boughton-Under-Blean, near Faversham. They have recorded a version of Keeping the Dream Alive to support East Kent Hospitals Charity’s Tiny Toes campaign, with funds going to the NICU and the special care baby unit at the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.
The Marshes teamed up with another family from the village, the Clarks, who stage a fundraising festive lights display each year in memory of their son Jack, who died at just six days old after being born four weeks early in 2002. Both hope the unique collaboration will benefit other poorly babies.
The song was officially released on Friday, 5 December, with the accompanying video shared a week later showcasing the work of the neonatal intensive care teams.
Dee Neligan, head of East Kent Hospitals Charity, said: “This wonderful collaboration has resulted in the most beautiful version of a classic song, to complement the incredible lights display in memory of Jack.
“To now have this stunning video illustrating exactly what our fantastic NICU teams do is the icing on the cake and we’re so grateful to Roisin for sharing her story.
“Christmas can be a magical time of year but it can feel very lonely when you are in hospital so it means the world for our NICU families to know others are thinking of them.”
You can listen to and buy the song at https://orcd.co/keepthedream and donate online at https://justgiving.com/page/81colonelslanelights2025.You can watch Roisin’s video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KFCEYqLcWQ