Evelyn's Story.

Evelyn hasn't had the easiest start to life, but she's always been a fighter...

"At 12 weeks I had a bleed. We thought we'd lost her then. I was heartbroken I remember so clearly going into the hospital and hearing her heartbeat still there. I've never been so relieved. Fast forward 6 weeks to my 20 week scan, and we found out about Evelyn's heart defect. I didn't really know what to think. The doctors quickly rattled off all these complicated terms - I think I just sat there with my eyes glaze over in shock. 

At 23 weeks my waters broke. I remember saying to Josh "this can't be happening now - it's too soon". I was taken to Mater Mothers' Hospital and monitored there. I was taken care of and they delayed my labor until 29 and a half weeks. That's when our little girl, Evelyn was born.

Saturday, 20 February 2021. The day our world changed forever. 

It all happened so quickly. I managed to give birth to Evelyn naturally. I cut her cord but never got the skin-to-skin contact every mother craved. So quickly she was rushed into the Neonatal Critical Care Unit (NCCU). Josh went with her up to the NCCU but had to leave while they hooked up her lines and did everything, they needed to do to keep her alive. We were so scared, anxious, and nervous but we also knew she was definitely in the right place.

Evelyn's heart condition is very complicated. She has a condition called Pulmonary Atresia with a Ventricular Septal Defect and Major Aorto-Pulmonary Collateral Arteries (PA + VSD with MAPCAs) and also a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) that we are keeping there with medicine called prostin. Is your head spinning? I know mine was when I first heard all of that. To be honest, I still don't fully understand but I know my little girl needs open-heart surgery to try and establish more long-term supply to the lungs. 

Those first few days of Evelyn's life were a complete haze. I was on antibiotics myself so the first couple of days I was back and forth between my room and the NCCU to see Evie. I was pumping, getting my own treatment, and going up to sit with her. There were some really long nights. A couple of weeks went by before I FINALLY got my first cuddle with my little girl. It was amazing - so special. I didn't want to put her down. I still don't - I cherish every cuddle I get.

It's been about 60 days since Evie was born. We've still yet to go home, we're not sure when we will go home.

It's hard but right now, we're focussing on our little girl, celebrating the little wins, and thanking you that she is still here with us today. 

Thank you for helping to save our little girl with your generous donations."

Babies like Evelyn need your help 

before 30 June. 

Donate today

Your impact this Tax Appeal.

Some of the tiny babies like Evie at Mater’s Neonatal Critical Care Unit (NCCU) weigh as little as 400 grams.

Babies like Evie are usually with us because they’ve been born prematurely, they have very serious medical conditions or both.

These little ones are so fragile, they have to be moved about for tests, scans and surgeries in a specially-designed transport crib, called a ‘Neocot’.

A Neocot is a mini-intensive care unit on wheels, designed especially for moving the smallest, most fragile little patients.

The two cribs we have are running on borrowed time. They have offered more than a decade of service but there have been huge advances in technology and now it’s time to invest in new machines to give our patients and their families the very best, state-of-the-art care before the end of the financial year.

Your donation will help transport critically ill babies, like Evie to essential scans and surgeries.

Thank you.