Posted: 18/12/2020
Written by Lisa Rowe...
With Christmas approaching, I wanted to share with you a story of one of our little miracles we met at our hospital earlier this year.
Little Leon was born at 33 weeks, weighing a tiny 1940 grams and received life-saving care at the Sunshine Coast University Hospital (SCUH).
His parents Ellie and Dane live in Curra, north of Gympie, and had to make the 110km trip to SCUH for Leon's premature and quite dramatic birth.
“Because Leon was born so premature he needed to go to the Neonatal Ward straight away," Mum Ellie said.
"We spent exactly three weeks there where Leon was on a CPAP (to help Leon’s airways), treated for jaundice and learnt to feed and grow.”
During this time Ellie, Dane and their first-born Vinnie were able to stay at Wishlist House to ensure they were close to their precious newborn.
“Wishlist House was amazing. Being able to stay at Wishlist House meant that my husband Dane and my son Vinnie were all able to be together.”
In fact, Vinnie celebrated his first birthday at the six-bedroom custom-built ‘home away from home’.
“Vinnie absolutely loved the kids playroom downstairs. It was nice and close to the hospital to walk and I always felt it was a safe area. In what was a very long drawn-out three weeks it made it so much easier not having to travel back home and it meant that we could all still be together at night.
"I was still able to be there for my one-year-old with putting him to bed and then I could go back to the hospital and be with my newborn to feed him.”
Thankfully, Leon is now thriving at home in Curra, and the family is just one of more than 70 families who have benefitted from Wishlist House since opening in May.
We love to share these stories with you, and how you have helped this year.
If you would like to make a donation this Christmas, please consider joining Wishlist's community of Monthly Givers to help little miracles like Leon.
Thank you once again for your support and from the team here at Wishlist, Merry Christmas.
Stay safe,
From Lisa Rowe.