Thomas Pearce weighed 7lbs. 6oz when he was born at The Princess Royal Hospital, Hayward’s Heath on 30 September, 2006.  Difficulties during his delivery meant that he needed to be resuscitated and placed on a ventilator. Thomas’ problems included having seizures within the first 24 hours of his birth and he needed neonatal intensive care. At one day old he was transferred to St. Peter’s Hospital, Chertsey. The journey was made in a £100,000 transfer incubator that is always on stand-by at the hospital, together with a specially rostered transport team including a specialist Registrar.  This incubator fits into a specifically designed and built neonatal ambulance that came into use earlier in 2006 and covers Kent, Sussex and some times London as well as Surrey.

Said his Mum, Claire Weeks: “I did not expect to receive the kind of care that we did, or for him to make the kind of recovery that he has made.  We have our own little miracle in Thomas!

“It was the longest week of our lives - those first few days, when you don’t know what you face, are hard.  Having the Gallagher Suite accommodation to stay in was brilliant.  It was almost like a little hotel!  We could get up to him in the night and go and see him. Sometimes you would wake up in the night in a panic, and then you could walk down the corridor and there he was, with staff with him.”

The Gallagher suite provides accommodation for parents who live long distances away or whose infants are extremely poorly.   The suite, which has bedrooms, bathroom and kitchen facilities as well as a lounge with TV and radio, was funded by a family who had premature triplets, of which only one has survived.

Thomas was born on his Nana’s birthday, 30th September.  This year her family organised a surprise early 60th birthday party for her and instead of giving her presents the guests made cash donations.  The family visited St. Peter’s Hospital recently (28-8-07)  to donate £550 specifically for use in the Gallagher Suite.

Said Matron for Neonatal Intensive Care Audrey Elmore: “Making a donation to the Gallagher Suite is a lovely idea, and much appreciated.  We shall be asking parents who are using the suite if they have any specific suggestions on how the money might be spent, but we do already know that we need new bed linen and replacement crockery.”

Looking back on their time at St. Peter’s Claire said how reassuring it was to find that there was a one-to-one staff to baby ratio.  She also appreciated breast feeding advice which enabled her to express milk for Thomas who was initially fed through a tube.

She said: “They always had time for us, and answered all our questions.  There were very worrying times but fortunately he stopped having fits on day four – and then his kidneys failed, and then started working again!  It would be so easy to fall apart at such a time but the staff were wonderful – they were lovely, straight-forward with no mumbo-jumbo and with any anxieties that we had, they were reassuring.”

Before Thomas was able to go home in early October Claire and Neil had him in their room in the Gallagher Suite, with the reassuring presence of NICU staff a few steps away. Once home he continued to make good progress and an MRI scan at six weeks showed that he had not suffered any brain damage.

His Nana and Grandpops, Jane and Richard Pearce of Blythewood Road, Pinner, are looking forward to Thomas’s first birthday on 30th September and Jane’s retirement which will give them more time to visit Claire and Neil in Mayflower Road, Hayward’s Heath.