An Isle of Wight, who’ve been staying at Ronald McDonald House Southampton since February 2022, after their first child was born 14 weeks early, are now back on the Island.
Lily Walker and David Hipkiss brought their baby girl, Ava, home to the Island for the first time on Tuesday.
When Lily went into labour on 28th December 2021, at just 23 weeks pregnant, the couple was ambulanced across the Island and flown by helicopter to Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth.
Born weighing only 1lb 4oz
Baby Ava was born via emergency c-section, weighing only 1lb 4oz. They 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.
A few night at St Mary’s
Ava will spend the first few nights at St Mary’s hospital, where she’ll be monitored and will get to know her new care home.
After a week or so, she will go home for the first time.
Walker: We’ll be forever grateful for the support and friendship they gave us
Ava’s mum, Lily Walker, said,
“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!”
Hipkiss: Her strength has kept us going
Ava’s dad, David Hipkiss, 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.”
Bevis: So pleased they can finally start their next chapter as a family
Sarah-Jayne Bevis, House Manager at Ronald McDonald House Southampton, said,
“We are here for families for as long as they have a sick child in hospital, no matter how long that might be.
“It was our pleasure to be able to provide a ‘home away from home’ for Lily and David and help ease some of the emotional and financial burden for them while Ava was receiving the treatment she needed.
“It’s sad to see them go, but we are so pleased they can finally go home and start their next chapter as a family.”
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 weighs 13lb 11oz.
