Ruby’s Story
On Sunday 4th August, Ruby Danowski took part in Ride London, raising more than £1,000 for our Critical Care Campaign. This isn’t the first time Ruby has hit the pedals for us, having raised another £2,250 after completing the Thames River Bike Ride back in 2018!
Ruby and her husband Gus had first hand experience of our NICU when their son Vaughn was born, read their story below.
“Vaughn’s birth in February was not premature and there were no signs of any problem. His entrance into the world however was shocking. A senior midwife called it the worst she’d seen in twenty years. But our son survived and the NHS takes all the credit. The decisiveness and wealth of experience that the doctors, senior midwives and neonatal emergency teams brought to our son was first class. He would have died without them.
“After the birth, we had a battle with the unknown outcomes of his birth asphyxia. He was cared for in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUS) at Chelsea and Westminster and Queen Charlotte’s hospitals. They each provided a private room for me so I could visit him round the clock and when our fragile family felt overwhelmed with fear, the support and care of the nurses and consultants kept us strong.
“On day ten, an MRI showed baby Vaughn had a normal brain and he is now a strong, happy and very healthy boy! None of this has been lost on me. The NHS caught us the moment things went wrong and continue to support us and countless other families. None of this comes for free even though we are blessed to have a free NHS. I am thrilled to be supporting the Critical Care Campaign to enable the unit to care for even more babies like Vaughn in the future.”
Ruby’s fundraising is not over yet, if you would like to donate you can do so here.
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