Alfie The Warrior (4x4x48)

Hi everyone my name is Andy Docherty, I am running the David Goggins challenge in March 4th this year to raise money for the NICU at Wishaw Hospital.

The challenge is called 4x4x48. I will be running 4 miles every 4 hours for 48 hours. This is going to be by far the hardest challenge I have done to date and I have had a few fights in the ring. I will be prepared both physically and mentally for this by the power of my wee pal Alfie (The Warrior).

His mother Monic and dad Gary have allowed me to share his story with you.

At 27 weeks pregnant on Sunday 7th November 2021 at 0518 Alfie James Milligan was born via emergency c-section weighing 1lb and 6oz.

My pregnancy was straightfoward until 20 weeks. After 6 weeks of weekly consultant led scans Alfie was diagnoised with Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) due to placenta insufficiency. At 26 weeks I was admitted into University Hospital Wishaw for observation so that Alfie and I could be closely monitored. It was inevitable that I would be unable to carry Alfie to term, and so some lovely Drs from the NeoNatal unit came to speak with us in preparation for what was to come. I was able to carry for a further 10 days, until complications from the placenta insufficiency and the development of pre-eclampsia meant that it was no longer safe for me or our precious baby.

At his moment of birth Alfie was immediately taken away by the NeoNatal team to be stabilised. He was unable to breath for himself due to being extremely premature and so he required a ventilator to breath for him. I saw only a very quick glimpse of my beautiful baby boy as he was taken from theatre to the NeoNatal unit in University Hospital Wishaw.

As I write this we are now almost 10 weeks into Alfies NICU journey and although we were given the opportunity to ask questions and understand what it would be like to have a "very premature" baby.........nothing could have prepared us for this.

We have spent days and nights sitting next to Alfie in his incubator willing him to breath.

We have had phone calls in the middle of the night telling us to "come now".

I have held my baby boy not knowing if I would ever be able to hold him again.

His lungs have collapsed countless times.

He has suffered respiratory arrest and he required to be resuscitated.

He has had numerous infections of unknown origin and 7 blood transfusions.

And his journey is not over yet.

The staff within the NeoNatal unit in University Hospital Wishaw have saved my baby boys life more times than I could ever count. They have supported Gary and I through the darkest days, hours and minutes. Sat with us as we watched every single breath whilst we prayed that there would be another. They have stood as godparents as Alfie was baptised through a very dark night that we thought would never end. They have held me as I watched helpless whilst my sons lungs fail him once again.

They were our calm in the chaos and they have cared for Alfie in the ways that we could not.

They have also shared in many of Alfies beautiful firsts - his first breath without the ventilator, his first bath, his first bottle feed, every precious gram of weight gain, his first Christmas and his first New Year to name a few.

The neonatal unit is a place where miracles happen and it is because of a special group of people who are so much more than just nurses and Drs, what they give to families is way beyond any job description. I can never thank them enough for the way they have loved my Alfie and how they make me feel that he is someone special to them, as is every precious little miracle that they care for.

I would appreciate if you could please spare anything little or large for such a worthy cause I know it will be greatly appreciated. God bless you all and HWFG.