Our little boy Senan was born in January 2020 in The Coombe Womens & Infants University Hospital in Dublin.  He was born at 31 weeks gestation.  Looking back at that moment, a journey began for us that manifest a strength within us that we never knew before, the NICU journey and beyond.  After a number of drawbacks in the very early days, including a bleed on the brain at 1 week old, Senan spent just short of six weeks in the neonatal unit in The Coombe.  Leaving hospital four days after giving birth without your baby, is one of the most nerve-wracking and surreal experiences any parent could encounter.  However, knowing that we were leaving our little newborn preemie in the safe and experienced hands that we left Senan in made this journey home and the days and weeks that followed, somewhat more bearable. The care and attention that Senan received from the doctors and nurses in NICU in The Coombe is something that will reside with us forever.  A phonecall at any time of the day or night to check in on how Senan was doing was always received with a happy greeting at the other side of the phone.  They shine a beaming light through those days of darkness and uncertainty that surround a families NICU journey.  Senan's sisters and brothers never met him in person until he left NICU, but they listened to these phonecalls and saw endless amounts of videos and photos that never left them under any illusion that their baby brother wasn't being looked after like a little king!  He was a little trooper through it all, and his little fighting nature gave us strength every day.

Before Senan's discharge from NICU, when we thought things were really looking bright, we received the news that any parent would dread.  Our beautiful little boy had been diagnosed with congenital heart defects - ASD, VSD & pulmonary stenosis.  Senan was immediately placed under the expert care of the cardiac team in Crumlin hospital.  We are so grateful to his cardiologist and team for the care he has received since then, and indeed into the forseeable future.  Any trip to Crumlin has been made stress free by the wonderful staff there, and with only one parent allowed to attend appointments and admissions, due to the covid 19 pandemic, we have always been treated with the utmost compassion on these occasions.

Senan's siblings (with a little help from mammy and daddy) are going to combination run/walk/cycle 600 kilometers over the next month.  We are hoping to raise vital funds for the two aforementioned hospitals, as a token of our gratitude to them for the service they have provided and continue to provide us with.  We would hope that families in our situation in the future could reap the same benefits and experiences as we have.  We will be forever indebted to the doctors and nurses in NICU and Crumlin for their expertise and the care which Senan has and continues to receive from them.  The monies raised from this fundraiser will go directly to NICU in The Coombe and The Heart Centre, CHI @ Crumlin.  These vital funds are used for things such as to purchase essential equipment and for ongoing research implementation, which will benefit many babies born too small, too sick, too soon, and children with heart conditions and their families, both now and in the future.

If anyone would like to join us in completing kms, in your own part of the country or world, please send us a message.  We would be delighted to have you on board!!

Many thanks in advance for your support in assisting us to achieve our goal.  All donations are greatly appreciated.

The Guckians :-)

I'm taking part in Siblings 600k for Senan.
I've chosen to fundraise for Children's Health Foundation Crumlin formerly CMRF Crumlin , Friends of the Coombe . All funds raised here will go directly to this great cause.
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