World Prematurity Day: Local dad raises 30k to buy incubator for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital

Today, on World Prematurity Day, we would like to say a special thank you to a local resident of Parsons Green for raising over £30,000 to fund a specialist incubator for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Jonathan Wallach ran the toughest footrace on earth last month – the Marathon des Sables – to raise funds for a state-of-the-art incubator at Chelsea and Westminster’s NICU, where his daughter India was cared for last year.

Born prematurely at 28 weeks and weighing only 2.5lb, India stayed in an incubator for many weeks, but thankfully survived and is now a thriving one year old.

Jonathan, who successfully completed six marathons in seven days and a total of 157 miles in the Moroccan Sahara Desert for the gruelling challenge, said: “My wife, Georgia, and I owe so much to Chelsea and Westminster’s NICU, and we are thrilled to have raised enough to purchase a new incubator for the hospital.

The challenge was brutal and very, very tough, but the end result was so worth it, and I would like to thank everyone who donated and supported me along the way. I was also born early – by five weeks – and started life in an incubator so I know only too well the importance of incubators for both babies and their families. An incubator saved my life as well as my daughter’s.”

Kerry Huntington, Fundraising Director at CW+, said: “Jonathan has undertaken a remarkable challenge, and we are so very grateful to him for all his support. He has raised a fantastic amount of money and the new incubator will make a big difference to our tiny patients and their families in NICU. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who donated to Jonathan’s fundraiser, your support will undoubtedly help save babies’ lives.”

All money raised from Jonathan’s challenge will go towards a Giraffe OmniBed Carestation for fragile premature babies.  This specialist incubator will be situated in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital’s new NICU unit, which officially opened earlier this year after extensive renovations.

Make a donation to CW+ via Jonathan’s JustGiving page here