By Press Release
A Totland family will be able to celebrate the greatest gift they could have wished for – their baby daughter home for Christmas after nearly a year in hospital.
Lily Walker and David Hipkiss welcomed their baby, Ava, back to the Island this week for the first time since she was born in December last year, 16 weeks and two days early.
Mum, Lily, said: “It’s been a long year! Ava has certainly kept us waiting on the mainland, but she’s home now and that is all that matters.”
Lily went into labour on December 28 and the couple were flown by helicopter to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth where Ava was born via emergency c-section, weighing only 1lb 4oz. She spent nine weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) before being transferred to Southampton Children’s Hospital’s NICU for additional specialist care. They were moved to the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) in June.
Ava’s parents have lived at Ronal McDonald House, Southampton, which gives families respite during long hospital stays, since June.
Ava’s health issues have included problems with her airways (requiring ventilation and later a tracheostomy), a hole in her heart, and eye injections and laser surgery for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).
After the ‘hardest year of their lives’, Ava is now 11 months and going home for the first time, weighing 13lb 11oz.
Ava spent the first few nights on the Island in hospital, where she’ll be monitored and will get to know her new carers. After a week or so, she will go home for the first time.
Lily added: “Ava’s first birthday is fast approaching, along with her first Christmas, so we’re so pleased to be home for those milestones and we’ll no doubt be making lots of memories in the weeks ahead.
“Although we hope never to have a prolonged hospital stay with Ava again, we will miss the staff and the other families we got to know so well at Ronald McDonald House, Southampton, and we’ll be forever grateful for the support and friendship they gave us. We plan to visit as soon as we can!”
Dad, David, said: “It’s amazing to see how far Ava has come and we can’t wait to introduce her to lots of family and friends, who’ve not met her yet.
“Ava has a number of ongoing health issues, including chronic lung disease, but she is doing so well and her strength has kept us going.”
Sarah-Jayne Bevis, house manager at Ronald McDonald House, said: “We are here for families for as long as they have a sick child in hospital, no matter how long that might be.”
