In April 2021, Mark Wigham spent three weeks on the unit with his daughter, Evelyn, who was born three months early and weighed just 2lb 1oz.
Thanks to the ‘personal touch’ of the neonatal team, Mark knew he was in good hands.
He said: “They always had smiles on their faces even though a job like that is not always fun and games with little babies.”
“They knew everything you needed to know to make you feel okay and with a personal touch.”
Despite COVID restrictions at the time, Mark and wife Gemma made sure to see Evelyn as often as they could, making use of the parent rooms and limited visiting hours.
In late April, the neonatal ward and surrounding wards suffered a devastating flood and Evelyn was one of the first to be evacuated.
She spent a further seven weeks under the care of the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) at Rotherham Hospital.
Mark recalls the rollercoaster of emotions during Evelyn’s time in hospital.
He said: “It’s a bit of a blur. You didn’t know what was going to happen.”
“One day she was good, the next she took a downward turn. It was an endless cycle of different emotions.”
Mark and Gemma would balance work and childcare with visits over to Rotherham.
Recalling the moment Evelyn was given the all-clear to go home, Mark said: “They showed us how to bath her to test how she regulated her temperature. It was the best kind of test. That’s when we knew it was finally over.”
Older sister Matilda finally met Evelyn when she was ten weeks old.
Evelyn is now a thriving and energetic three-year-old, who Mark describes as ‘perfect’.
Despite the stress of the situation, Mark knew early on that he wanted to give back to the people who helped his family.
He said: “While this was all going on I thought, one day I’m going to fundraise for this.”
Earlier this year, Mark walked 62 miles over the month of May, raising just under £1,000 for Bliss Charity, who support families with babies born premature or sick.
As a former semi-professional rugby player for Hull Ionians, Mark saw the marathon as both an opportunity to push himself and recognise his incredible wife.
Mark said: “My wife is a huge inspiration for doing this. The pain and trauma that my wife and Evelyn went through will be more than what I’ll go through doing this marathon.”
He hopes to donate the funds raised to improve parent facilities on the NICU, including comfier beds and a general revamp, as well as any equipment the unit may need.
Mark continued: “The NICU unit at DRI was so supportive and we will forever be grateful for the care we received.”
“It’s who you are as a person, to be a good nurse or medical practitioner.”
To support Mark’s fundraiser, visit his JustGiving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/mark-wigham-1717691405539?utm_medium=fundraising&utm_content=page%2Fmark-wigham-1717691405539&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=pfp-share
To find out more about our charity, visit our website: https://dbthcharity.co.uk/
About DBTH Charity:
Doncaster & Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals’ Charity is the official charity which supports Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals Trust to go above and beyond by providing additional equipment, services and amenities for our patients, visitors and staff which cannot be funded by the NHS alone.
These additional extras would not be possible without the support of our community. With your help, we can continue to work hard with our Trust to fund innovative and exciting projects that make a difference to our patients, their families and our colleagues who care for them.