Will you give big for little hearts?

Hi, I’m Tony—dad to twins Isabelle and Jack. I’m sharing our story because our family was only made possible because of the efforts and expertise from the staff on Leicester’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). I am so grateful for the support and care provided for our children when we needed them most.  

This year, to celebrate the twins turning ten, I challenged myself to run the London Marathon for Leicester Hospitals Charity. My family is just one of thousands who have received life-saving treatment from the Unit.  Now, I’m supporting this appeal to help bring state-of-the-art equipment to NICU, enhancing the care that is provided by staff every day. 

If you can, please make a gift of £20 today or an amount you can afford. Your support will help give even the tiniest hearts the best possible start in life.  

Technology has come a long way in the last ten years since our time on the unit, and I want today’s families to benefit from the very best resources available in their time of need. This could mean a new state of the art ultrasound scanner or a highly advanced digital probe that can be used to help babies with the most serious health conditions.  

Our path to parenthood was already full of emotion. After going through IVF, Nikki and I were thrilled to discover we were expecting twins. But that joy was short-lived. At just 22 weeks, Nikki’s waters broke. We were told to prepare for the worst. The chances of reaching 24 weeks—the point where survival might be possible—were incredibly low. 

What followed were the longest weeks of our lives. Nikki stayed in hospital, day after day, clinging to hope. Then, on 12 December 2015, our twins were born at 28 weeks by emergency caesarean. Every organ you could think of was underdeveloped and struggling to function, with lungs, kidneys, heart and eyes just a few of the things that needed experts to make the right decisions. 

Those first moments in NICU were surreal. I remember walking in and seeing so many incubators, not knowing which babies were ours. Jack had been stabilised and was on a ventilator. But Isabelle was critically unwell. A large team surrounded her and the words “It’s touch and go” were quietly said to me. I felt helpless, terrified, and overwhelmed.  

Five days later, we were told Isabelle had suffered a brain bleed. The consultant took the time to explain everything in detail, even drawing a diagram of the brain to help us understand. It was one of the hardest conversations I’ve ever had. I remember going back to our hotel that night and breaking down completely. I’d tried so hard to stay strong for Nikki, but the fear and uncertainty caught up with me.  

During those weeks, I developed strange coping strategies—obsessively checking stats on the monitors, tapping objects for luck, and listening to the same motivational speech every morning in the shower. It helped me get through each day.  

After eight weeks, Jack was ready to come home. Isabelle followed three weeks later. We were so relieved, but taking them home was also quite scary for us. Suddenly, we were without the safety net of the NICU team who had been by our side since day one—now we were finally home but this time no monitors, no machines, just us and two tiny babies.  

Now, nearly a decade later, Isabelle and Jack are thriving. But we’ll never forget what we went through—and we’ll never stop being thankful for the care we received. The best part of a decade may have passed but our gratitude to Leicester’s Hospitals has never waned and never will. 

That’s why I’m supporting this appeal, I want to make sure patients and families in Leicester, Leicestershire and beyond can benefit from the very best in advancements in healthcare technology. 

Having been through it ourselves, we know how important it is for families to feel supported and reassured during such a vulnerable time. By coming together to “give big for little hearts”, we will help the NICU team continue delivering that same compassionate, expert care that we benefitted from as a family, just with even better equipment. 

If you’re able, please consider making a £20 gift today, or perhaps you’d like to organise your own fundraiser with your friends, family or colleagues during the month of May.  

Your support will help give more babies like our Isabelle and Jack the very best start in life.  

From the bottom of my heart, 

Thank you,
Tony