A family's world was "put on hold" when their newborn son was rushed to intensive care after being born more than two months prematurely.
Emily and Dave McFerran, from Leasowe, welcomed baby Stanley on May 14, 2021. Born at just 31 weeks, Stanley was taken straight to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Wirral Women and Children’s Hospital, where he was put on a ventilator.
The family was able to stay close to Stanley throughout his five-week stay in hospital thanks to Ronald McDonald House in Arrowe Park. The charity provides free ‘home away from home’ accommodation for parents with sick children and premature babies being treated at the hospital.
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Dave, 34, told the ECHO: “When Stanley was born it was like a whirlwind. He was taken away and we didn’t see him for hours. He was taken to ICU and was in an incubator for weeks.
"It was hard because Emily had to stay at Ronald McDonald House for 35 nights. It was quite a struggle because we have three other kids and I don’t drive so it was difficult having to get the kids to school and things like that. We got to spend the weekends with Emily at the House which was great because the kids obviously wanted their mum which was one of the hardest parts of it all.”
He added: “It was a shock Stanley coming nine weeks early but to be honest we were lucky because he wasn’t ill. He was underweight and waiting for his lungs to develop but other than that we were probably a lot luckier than a lot of the other parents in there. It was during covid as well so the older children didn’t get to meet him for 40 days so it was a testing time."
Despite the challenging circumstances, Dave has attributed the "one of a kind" work of Ronald McDonald House with helping to make the family's time in hospital far less stressful. In a bid to show his gratitude to the charity, Dave, a former Currys employee, helped to co-ordinate an ambitious football tournament between staff from 19 Currys stores across the North West, with all funds raised going to Ronald McDonald House.
The event took place at Poolfoot Farm in Fleetwood on Saturday (September 3) and was part of Dave's mission to raise a staggering £20,000 by the end of the year. He said: “Ronald McDonald House Charities UK means so much to us. When House Assistant, Emma, opened the doors and we found we weren’t in a clinical environment anymore, we felt we were in a home away from home.
"The relief we felt that day will stay with us forever, knowing that Stanley was just steps away and we had somewhere comfortable to eat and sleep was just incredible. The little touches at the House, from the special Father’s Day breakfast, to the ‘help yourself’ corner and the friendliness of the staff, made it one of a kind.
"Without the house, those first 35 days with Stanley would have been completely different. We can't thank everyone enough. Stanley is now 15 months old and doing well. He's a little behind with his milestones but he's getting there in his own time. He loves his Disney lullabies, our two dogs and his big brothers and sister.”
Philippa, Community Fundraiser at Ronald McDonald House Charities UK, said: “We were so sorry about what the McFerran family had to go through with their baby Stanley, but are so pleased he is now doing well. As a Charity, it is our pleasure to be able to support families like the McFerrans, helping to ease the financial and emotional burden of having a sick child in hospital.
"It has been wonderful getting to know Dave’s lovely family, as well as working with the fantastic team over at Currys. We’re so grateful to the 19 stores involved in raising vital funds for our Charity. Each year we help thousands of families stay close to their children in hospital. The money raised by Currys stores will help us to continue our work to support more families in the North West and beyond.”
For more information about the Charity, click here.
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