Little Oscar inspires Coast to Coast trek

April 29, 2021 Off By admin

The extraordinary tale of Oscar,
the “little miracle” born 15 weeks early – just three weeks after mum found out
she was pregnant – has inspired Will and Adam Robinson to tackle the Coast to
Coast walk for Bradford Hospitals’ Charity.

Will, who is originally from
Saltaire and now living in Hampshire, is the proud uncle of Oscar, who was born
to parents James (Will’s brother) and Cheryl Robinson, last May.

Cheryl was still processing the
amazing news that she was pregnant when she went into premature labour, with
Oscar born at 25 weeks, weighing just a pound and a half. He was cared for by
the team at Bradford’s Neonatal Unit before being discharged just before his
due date, three months later.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Will
and his son Adam have been unable to visit Oscar, so they decided to show their
appreciation for the amazing care he received by raising money for Bradford
Hospitals’ Charity’s BIG Neonatal Appeal.

Will said: “Ozzy is a little
miracle! He’s with us because of the incredible team of doctors, nurses and all
the support staff at the BRI’s Neonatal Unit who nurtured him and provided
everything Ozzy needed for him to develop and grow. He was given the absolute
best chance of life.”

Will, an operations director,
works in Basildon and lives in Hampshire with his fiancée Tracey, their four
children and grandson George. He said he felt compelled to raise money for
Bradford Hospitals’ Charity’s neonatal fund because he was unable to offer
support in any other way.

“Oscar was born during lockdown
and I felt frustrated that I couldn’t help, so I had to find another route to
show my support from a distance,” he said.

“What I can do is try and support
these miracle workers, the brand new parents, the doctors, nurses and indeed
all the staff who perform these amazing feats.”

Will and Adam have been training
all year by walking along the beaches of Southend during the week and through
the Hampshire Downs when back at home. They both say they are feeling more than
ready for the iconic 192-mile walk, devised by famous fellwalker Alfred
Wainwright.

They will set off on 21 May –
Oscar’s first birthday. It will also be the first time Oscar meets his uncle
and family, as he will be waving them off!

Will added: “We’re walking
Wainwright’s original route – through the fells and mountains of Cumbria, over
The Dales and down to the North York Moors to raise a little bit of money to
help build better and bigger facilities for parents and family so they can all
be at the feet of their little miracles 24 hours a day.”

Hayley Collis, Head of Fundraising
for Bradford Hospitals’ Charity, said: “We’re overjoyed to see Oscar doing so
well after the care he received from our heroic doctors and nurses in the
Neonatal Unit.

“Although it’s the best place for
many babies, it’s incredibly difficult to leave your baby or babies behind in
the Neonatal Unit and go home. Our doctors and nurses recognise this and want
to do everything they can to keep families together and close to their babies
while they are under the care of our clinicians. This is why we are raising
money to create more bedrooms for parents to stay close to their babies, as
well as to improve the facilities for parents and siblings, so it feels like a
real home-from-home.

“Thank you to Will and Adam for
taking on this big challenge. Every penny raised will help future parents in
the Neonatal Unit.”

Visit Will and Adam’s Just Giving
page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/william-robinson14
You can also follow their journey on Instagram @c2c_longdistancelove.

For more information about the BIG
Neonatal Appeal, visit https://bradfordhospitalscharity.org/big-neonatal-appeal/

If you would like to support your
local NHS by donating, fundraising or volunteering, contact Bradford Hospitals’
Charity on 01274 274809 or email charity@bthft.nhs.uk