A "perfect" baby girl died after an operation designed to help treat a serious bowel condition.
Mum Hayley Ryder was told her daughter, who was born 15 weeks early, had necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) a serious condition that can affect newborn babies, where tissue in the bowel (small and large intestines) becomes inflamed. Nevaeh was taken to Alder Hey Hospital for surgery and Hayley was told her daughter, Nevaeh Arlea Sanders, only had a 10% survival rate.
Nevaeh, who was described as "perfect" by Hayley recovered well from her first operation but needed a second procedure two days later. After this surgery Nevaeh did not recover. She suffered from a huge cardiac arrest and the next day doctors discovered her brain was badly damaged, and her organs were failing.
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Hours later she died in Hayley’s arms, only having ever met her mum and dad.
Hayley's friend Sally Davies, 44, from Ellesmere Port, has been raising money in memory of Nevaeh. Sally, who began training with personal trainer Hayley four years ago and has since lost eight stone, decided to take on a running challenge to raise money for a cuddle cot. This was something that offered Hayley and her family comfort during the devastating time, allowing them to say their final goodbyes.
A cuddle cot is a cooling mattress that allows families to spend additional time with their babies by regulating their body temperature. It can be placed in a cot or a pram. For Hayley, it gave her the opportunity to introduce Nevaeh to those who could never visit her in hospital, including Hayley's son, Gio.
Speaking to the ECHO, Sally said: "There was only one cuddle cot there, so that meant any other parent going through the same thing wasn’t able to go through that similar process."
She added: "The little girl was so wanted by Hayley, but I just thought 'what can I do to support her?'
"I hadn’t run since I was in school, and that was a challenge for myself, I thought you know, Nevaeh had to overcome so many hurdles and was just a tiny little thing, surely I can do something out of my comfort zone."
Up to now, Sally has completed the Chester 10k, Liverpool 10-mile, Chester Half Marathon, Pretty Mudder, Port Sunlight Duel (5k&10k), Cheshire Half Marathon, and Chester Metric Marathon, and will complete her efforts with the Liverpool Santa Dash in December.
With the money she has raised so far, Sally has already been able to gift a cuddle cot to Arrowe Park Hospital and donate funds to the Tiny Stars Appeal and Ronald McDonald House.
Speaking of her journey, Sally said: "To me it was very hard, and me, I’m a people person and training on my own was very hard,
"You’re there in your own thoughts and sometimes it's hard to get through it. You just think of the reasons why I’m doing it."
To visit Sally's fundraiser and to donate, click here.
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