When our second daughter, Nell, was born in July 2026, she was diagnosed with Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn (HDN). HDN is a condition where maternal antibodies break down the baby's red blood cells, which can lead to severe anemia and jaundice, requiring careful medical monitoring and treatment. This was caught at 28 weeks pregnant and our baby was monitored closely with weekly scans until she was born. With the antibodies rising quickly and attacking her blood in the womb, we knew she would be hospitalised straight away after birth.

Nothing could prepare us for what the next 5 weeks would be like.

Nell needed specialized care right from the start.

All funds raised will be split equally among the four organizations that played a part in Nell's care:

National Maternity Hospital NICU: Nell spent 3 days in the NICU and 2 days in High Dependency at the National Maternity Hospital, where the team monitored and supported her initial treatment.

The Irish Air Corps & National Neonatal Transport Service: At 5 days old, Nell was safely transferred closer to home, flown from Holles Street to Letterkenny by the National Neonatal Transport Service and the Irish Air Corps.

Letterkenny University Hospital NNU: Nell spent 4.5 weeks in the Neonatal Unit in Letterkenny, where the nursing and medical staff looked after her day-to-day as she grew stronger.

The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS): At 3 weeks old, Nell required a blood transfusion. We are very grateful to the IBTS and the donor who provided the blood that she needed.

Navigating those first few weeks showed us just how many people are involved in pediatric and neonatal care. We are deeply appreciative of all the doctors, nurses, midwives, consultants, volunteers, social workers, paramedics, mental health nurses, pilots, and of course the anonymous blood donor who helped get our little girl home.

We never thought that this would happen to our little baby and we could not have done it without the medical staff in this country.

We wanted to set up this fundraiser to give back to the wonderful teams who not only looked after Nell but also our whole family through her first 5 weeks of life. She has recovered well and was discharged from hospital for good at 7 weeks.

Thank you so much for reading Nells story and for any support you can provide to these wonderful medical teams.