Published on 17 December 2020
A new dad is planning a 24-hour podcast to raise money for the hospital that saved his daughter’s life.
Sumit Sharma will live-stream his marathon effort on Saturday,19 December, with topics ranging from his love for Liverpool FC to why we care what other people think.
He is hoping to raise £1,000 for the Tiny Toes appeal run by East Kent Hospitals Charity, supporting the neonatal intensive care unit at the William Harvey Hospital. His daughter Liyah was cared for in the NICU after she was born two months premature, weighing just 2lb 11oz.
Sumit, who co-hosts a weekly hiphop podcast called Breaking Atoms, said: “If it wasn’t for the doctors, nurses and midwives at William Harvey’s neonatal intensive care unit, I’m not sure Liyah would be with us today.
“She was so small, she could fit in the palm of my hand. The love and affection the nurses and doctors showed filled us with belief every single day.
“The work that goes on in NICU is unbelievable and every baby is treated with the greatest of care.”
Liyah is now thriving at home in Ashford with Sumit and wife Komel, but the couple are aware other parents are not so lucky.
He said: “Not everyone is as fortunate as us.
“I have wanted to do a charity event for a while, and I’m not as good at running as I used to be, so I decided against a marathon and had the idea of a 24-hour podcast instead.
“Being up all night with Liyah has been great training, and I’ve been planning the topics I will talk about; I think I’ll need at least 24.
“There will also be some fun and games and I’m also welcoming some guests including some of hospital staff who can talk about the fantastic work they do.”
The podcast will be streamed on YouTube and potentially also gaming platform Switch.
For more information or to make a donation visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/the-24-hour-podcast
To watch the podcast, from 10am on Saturday, visit https://www.youtube.com/hiphopchronicle
