Bradford councillor Richard Dunbar is fundraising for Bradford Hospitals’ Charity to say thank you to Neonatal Unit for providing “exceptional care” to his nephew.
Jonah Saul Stevens was born prematurely at 28 weeks earlier this year to Danielle (Richard’s sister) and Mark.
Richard, a Labour councillor for Thornton and Allerton, will kick start his fundraising by running the Bradford Half Marathon on Sunday 28 October with Jonah’s dad, Mark Stevens.
Councillor Richard Dunbar (pictured above right with brother-in-law Mark) said: “The equipment and facilities in the unit are world class but are very expensive. We are trying to raise £2,000 to help the unit in the vital work they carry out on a daily basis.”
Jonah weighed 2lb 12oz when he was born and rapidly dropped to 2lb 2oz. It was a scary time for all the family as they did not know if he would survive.
Exceptional care
Mark said: “Jonah was in the Neonatal Unit for eight weeks and received exceptional care from the consultants, nurses and all other staff there. We cannot thank them enough.”
Danielle added: “It has been such a challenging few months for us, especially as we have another young son Reuben. But the staff encouraged us to bring him along and I know the staff are doing a great job in developing facilities at the unit for siblings so parents get to spend more time with the new born.
“The nurses and doctors were there for us as well as caring for Jonah. Jonah is now doing well and is getting better every day. He already has a cheeky smile like his older brother.”
Hayley Collis, Head of Fundraising for Bradford Hospitals’ Charity, said: “Thank you to Cllr Dunbar and Mark for raising money to help other families who are faced with the same challenges they did. Our charity has funded a number of projects in the Neonatal Unit which help parents, and our doctors and nurses provide the very best care and treatment.”
Enhance experience
Kelly Young, Neonatal Matron, said: “We are very grateful to the Dunbar family for choosing to fundraise for the neonatal service. The funds raised will enable us to further enhance the experience for families with a baby who needs neonatal care.
“We are currently looking to improve the family room to include entertainment for siblings, and we would also like to extend the parent accommodation so they can remain close to their baby while in hospital.”
You can donate to the campaign by going to this link:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bradfordneonataljonah
Alternatively, you can make a donation to Bradford Hospitals’ Charity by texting “BHCF22” and the amount you wish to donate to 70070. You can also visit www.justgiving.com/bradfordteachinghospital.
To find out more about Bradford Hospitals’ Charity and how you can support your local hospitals, visit www.bradfordhospitalscharity.org. Alternatively, contact Hayley Collis or Elaine Drake on 01274 274809 or email charity@bthft.nhs.uk