Kia ora!
As always, I hope this newsletter finds you and your whanau well and looking forward to some sunshine over the summer, wherever you are in Aotearoa New Zealand. This will be our last newsletter for the year and what a year it has been – again!
The year started off with so much hope and freedom for us in NZ, but come August we all know what happened and since then the country has been in a state of flux and life has been disrupted for longer than we’ve ever known through lockdowns, levels and soon to be traffic lights.
The Little Miracles Trust has been significantly impacted, not only in the way we can deliver our service to families and units, but also financially – all up across the last two years we’ve lost close to quarter of a million dollars which has restricted the equipment we can buy for families to use in hospital as well as our plans to extend our support out into the regions.
But I don’t want this sign off for the year to be dominated by COVID19 but rather to highlight the amazing work that our team and those who we work alongside in the NICUs and SCBUs across the country have managed to achieve in spite of a nasty virus having other ideas for us!
I am honoured to work alongside some extremely passionate individuals who have moved mountains with the resources available to them to ensure 3,500 care packs, 450 Father’s Day packs, 31 landmarks joined ‘Light Up Purple’, 450 families and 23 units celebrated World Prematurity Day with morning tea for all and are now working to get 450 Christmas gifts out. And this is just a small insight into their achievements this year, follow our social pages for a full view of what we do year round.
If you’d like to help us grow to do more for more families do head to our website to make either a one-off donation or set up a regular giving donation, you won’t regret it!
Arohanui and Meri Kirihimete
Rachel x
Elsies story, as told by Mum, Pip
“Your baby is measuring approximately 500grams and will be delivered in the next 48 hours” is not what any Mum-to-be wants to hear.
Pip shares Elsies story with us to give hope & encouragement to those who may be going through a similar experience.
Thank you to the TG Macarthy Trust and the Dorothy L Newman Charitable Trust
The Little Miracles Trust recently received grants from the Thomas George Macarthy Trust and the Dorothy L Newman Charitable Trust to go towards the cost of providing a care pack to every family that goes through a neonatal unit in the Wellington Region, and for including new items. We would like to acknowledge and thank the trustees of both Trusts for their support of this worthy initiative.
Introducing Catherine – one of our Auckland superstars!
Catherine has been working for the Little Miracles Trust since March 2021 as the Family Support Office Manager at Auckland City Hospital. During lockdown we caught up with her for a cuppa and a chat…
What’s the best part of your job?
The best part of my job is being able to help other families and have an educated view on their experience through those of my own having had two children go through NICU. I love seeing their eyes light up when they hear that you ‘hear’ them and know what they mean.
What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I love to bake in my spare time and quite like the odd dabble in online shopping. I have recently taken up running too which I really enjoy.
What are you watching at the moment?
I love any programmes on anything medical, I watch all the hospital and paramedic shows on TV and my favourite series is Greys Anatomy, I’ve watched it since the very first episode!
What’s one piece of advice you can give to families going through a neonatal journey?
If I could pass on any advice I would say live in the moment, enjoy every little thing. Time goes fast, so every situation you are in is fleeting! Enjoy your journey and cherish the simple pleasures that your own child brings you. Development means progress, at any speed, and most importantly go to the playgroups run by The Little Miracles Trust! (I used to run them when my two went)
Little And Fierce
The Little & Fierce range is a range of premature and small premature baby clothing especially designed by an amazing ex-NICU Mum, Laura, who after having their little boy, Boston, at 28 weeks, struggled to find clothes that were not only small enough but worked with all the wires and probes that are part of a NICU journey.
The design of these clothes has truly been thought about from a NICU parents point of view, with side vents for wires to pass through and feet turnovers to keep little toes warm too while the other foot can still wear a probe.
We’re proud to have been their first stockist and the team at Little & Fierce have been long time supporters of the Trust through donations and giveaways to families in the unit. They make a beautiful gift for a NICU family or that special going home outfit for your little one. Head to our online shop now to check them out.
World Prematurity Day and Lighting Up Purple
Despite the limitations this year, we still managed to celebrate World Prematurity Day in neonatal units across the country with the help of some amazing bakers and NICU staff and we had 31 landmarks around the country “Light Up Purple” for prematurity!
Check out the photos of this special day for our community…
Where Do Your Donations Go?
These are just some of the items we’ve purchased so far in 2021 and donated on your behalf…
A Leather L-shaped Sofa for Middlemore NICU
65 headsets for units across the country
4 La-Z-boy chairs (for those special kangaroo cuddles!) in Wellington NICU and Lower Hutt SCBU
4 Ergoline chairs for Christchurch NICU and another 4 for Dunedin NICU
5 Symphony breast pumps and stands for Dunedin NICU
$3,000 worth of taxis for families
Frosted screening in Dunedin NICU
3 x Tiltaway beds for North Shore SCBU
Refurbishment of Expressing room in North Shore SCBU
Leather L-shaped couch North Shore SCBU
6 baby capsules
5 x sofa beds (4 Chch NICU and 1 Nelson SCBU)
12 Graduation Frames
1 x Cuddlecot for Waikato
Over $5,000 of supermarket gift cards for families in hardship
2 x Ipad (Wellington NICU and Rotorua SCBU)
4 x Unimom Forte pumps to be used as loan pumps
3,500 care packs
Plus – lots of small things like material for sheeting and muslin wraps, changing mats, baby books and furnishing for parents rooms up and down the country!
Whatever the units ask us for, we try our hardest to get it for them!
If you would like to make a donation to keep these awesome things coming for neonatal families, we would really appreciate your support 🙂
