Fred's Fund

Our son Fred passed away at two months old, At birth, his brain was starved of oxygen, causing a significant brain injury (Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy Or HIE) and severe epilepsy.

From the minute he was born, he drew a wide range of professionals into our lives - people who have gone above and beyond throughout his life to either make Fred, or us, his family comfortable.

We would like to acknowledge some of these people in the simple way of raising money for two charities that significantly impacted our lives.

‘Keep me close’ Plymouth and the ‘Children's Hospice Southwest’.

Keep me close - is a charity that supports parental accommodation for those parents of babies who are being cared for on the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit in Plymouth. It meant we had a base 20 steps from Fred’s pod to monitor his care day or night, as he went through some intense treatment in NICU.

Children's Hospice Southwest - specifically, Little Bridge House provide hospice care for children with life-limiting conditions and their whole family. They took care of us and Fred during his end of life treatment and made a horrific situation as good as it could possibly be. We are forever grateful for the memories we made as a family during his last days.

From day one, Fred baffled all health professionals by exceeding their expectations. It was unlikely for him to survive further than his first day but he was a fighter, surprising people from this day to his last. Eventually, the damage to his brain proved too much for Fred and the medications that he was on were not enough to keep him free from seizures.

Because Fred battled so hard, we have had time to meet extraordinary and generous people. We have been moved time and time again by their dedication to their role. This money will allow families to access their services for a little longer. We hope that Fred will continue to impact those around him in a positive way, starting with Fred's fund.

So if Fred and his story have touched you, please give a little, to help another family in our position - and make their tricky journey a little easier.