Middlesbrough couple donate more than 100 newborn outfits for premature babies on Teesside
A Middlesbrough couple have donated over a hundred tiny baby grows to the neonatal unit at The James Cook University Hospital after experiencing the heartbreak of saying goodbye to their own three babies.
Adelle and Andy Hodgson donated more than 100 bespoke outfits to give to premature babies in memory of their son Rocco and daughters Angel and Reeva.
The couple were devastated to lose baby Rocco in 2017 and then twins Angel and Reeva in 2020. Adelle and Andy wanted to ensure their memory lived on, by raising funds to buy tiny items of clothing for other premature babies on the unit.
Adelle said it was at a scan around 18 weeks when her cervix was found to be open which meant she had to go straight to the delivery suite to give birth to their baby girl Angel. At 23 weeks and six days, Angel’s twin sister, Reeva, was born weighing just 610g and she was transferred to the neonatal unit where she lived for just 11 days.
"When Reeva was born she was so small,” said Adelle. “When she passed the nurses said that we could dress her or they could do it for us. We asked if they could and when they brought her back she was lost in this big outfit. It was probably the smallest they had but it was way too big for her."
In the months that followed, Adelle’s sister decided to raise money for the unit in memory of her nephew and nieces by running multiple marathons.
“When my sister said she was going to start fundraising in memory of our babies I knew I wanted the money to go towards some small outfits for the babies in the unit,” added Adelle.
“One of the things that would have massively changed our experience was if Reeva had some clothes that fit her, but it’s not something you plan for. That’s why I wanted to provide them for future families.”
The family have already raised more than £2,000 which is now helping to make a "special difference" to other parents on the unit.
Lynn Paterson, clinical director for neonatology at South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We would like to thank Adelle and Andy for their thoughtfulness and amazing fundraising that has been done for the neonatal unit".