Published 7 October 2022
A mum has raised thousands of pounds to thank the hospital teams who saved the life of her miracle IVF baby.
Little Freddie was Holly Burr’s last chance to become a mum, after medical treatment when she was younger left her infertile.
The secondary school science technician, from Shepherdswell, near Dover, had fertility treatment to freeze her eggs, but two rounds of IVF failed, and baby Freddie was conceived using her final egg.
Holly and husband Matt’s delight turned to fear when he was born just under 28 weeks into the pregnancy, weighing a little over two pounds, and he spent 10 weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.
She said: “From the first moment we spent in the unit I knew I wanted to do something to say thank you. Every single member of staff was absolutely incredible and put us at ease.
“Freddie is incredibly special to us, and it wasn’t nice to know he was our last chance to have a baby, but the teams were amazing in their care of him.
“I have been in and out of hospitals for years and they were just wonderful and we will be forever grateful.”
Freddie is now a thriving 17 month old, but initially needed a ventilator to breathe, and had to be resuscitated by staff at the hospital. He needed oxygen treatment for some time after leaving hospital, but his parents hope he will soon be given the all-clear.
Holly, 32, said: “His corrected age is 14 months but he’s not just walking, he’s running, and he’s into absolutely everything.
“I was wondering what I could do to help the unit and say thank you to the team, and my brother in law suggested a race night as he had been to one and that seemed like a good idea.”
The event took place at Dover Rugby Club, where Matt is a member, and it smashed Holly’s fundraising target, with a total of £3,257 collected for East Kent Hospitals Charity.
Holly said: “The club were so supportive and everyone was so generous; I was delighted with how much we managed to raise.
“I hope it will go some way in showing our appreciation to the NICU staff as well as helping other babies like Freddie in future.”
You can add to Holly’s fundraising at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/freddiesracenight or for more information about East Kent Hospitals Charity and how you can support them visit www.ekhcharity.org.uk
