Giving back to the Special Care Baby Unit - Oxford

I was born extremely prematurely at 26 weeks + 6 days along with my twin sister, Ella Rae. I was in the John Radcliffe Hospital for 83 days and cared for around the clock in the Special Care Baby Unit. On 16th June 2008 I started my fight for life, only weighing 2.5 pounds and my twin even less. Initially, Ella was doing better than me, but a disease overwhelmed her immune system and sadly she died after 19 days. But I continued under the expert care of a team of doctors and nurses, for which I will always be grateful. They gave me the life that was so nearly lost.

I am now 12 years old and have hit all my developmental milestones and am living life to the full.

I am in debt to the John Radcliffe Hospital for the care I received and I am excited to do this fundraising challenge to raise much needed money in these hard times. So, I have decided to camp out on the 22-23-24 August, spending three nights in a private woodland in a neighbouring village. I am trying to use as little man-made equipment as possible on this adventure. For food, I will eat hazelnuts from the trees and will be making stinging nettle soup. I will not be using a sleeping bag as I will be making a blanket out of leaves and over the past few weeks I have constructed a den to sleep in.

The money I raise will go directly to SSNAP (Support for Sick Newborns And Their Parents) to fund their vital work, helping other families with premature babies to get the critical care they need. SSNAP champions the rights of all sick and premature babies treated in Oxford to receive the best care. They do this by supporting families, purchasing life saving equipment and enabling life changing research and training.

I would be so grateful if you could support me in this fundraising adventure.

Thank you

Chris Meek (Age 12)