A local family from Filleigh are dynamic fundraisers to the hospital charity Over and Above. Helen Bray, and her brothers, Alan and Chris Bulled raised £12,091.46 towards the Chemotherapy Appeal at the North Devon District Hospital, and were appointed as Over and Above Ambassadors for their phenomenal support to the hospital charity. Sadly Alan lost his battle with cancer and passed away earlier this year.
Their Great Niece Grace Bucknell of Witheridge is now walking in the family’s fundraising footsteps. Grace’s mum, Ruth, said “Grace was watching a tv advert a few months ago which was promoting how cut hair was made into wigs for children who had lost their hair through illness, and Grace said that she wanted to have her hair cut to help. Grace’s hair was 14” in length, so she asked family and friends at school and at her grandparent’s 40th wedding anniversary party to sponsor her hair cut”.
So far, Grace has raised a phenomenal £600 through online and off line sponsorship but she hopes to raise even more for the Special Care Baby Unit. Her hair will be sent to a charity specialising in supporting wigs for children.
Headlines hairdresser, Sarah Francis, cut Grace’s hair in her salon in Fremington. Sarah said “I was a little nervous because Grace wanted a lot of hair cut off but I could see that she was determined to have it done. Her new bob style really suits her, and it looks great. It is wonderful that Grace wanted to help other children”.
Sarah and Grace before the cut
Sarah and Grace after the cut
The Special Care Baby Unit Appeal has now raised a fantastic £160,000 towards its target to purchase much needed equipment for our Unit. You can support Grace by donating to her fundraising website https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ruth-bucknell
and gave us all a surprise. When he was 6 days old he was admitted back to the Special Care Baby Unit at North Devon District Hospital with jaundice, he wasn’t feeding properly, he was very limp and a little bit yellow. The Paediatricians assessed him and took some blood tests to deter how jaundice he was and what treatment he would need. When his blood results came back his bilirubin levels were dangerously high and he was taken immediately from his his parents and placed under special blue lights, he then took a turn for the worst and stopped breathing, his heart rate dropped so he was immediately vented to help him breathe and he was placed under sedation. The doctor explained that because his bilirubin levels were so high he could potentially have brain damage and would need to be scanned at a later date. My daughter Chalade Hayes and my son in law Michael Hayes were then transferred to Bristol Royal Hospital for Children where Finley was placed in intensive care with a nurse by his side for 24 hours. From previous tests the doctors had discovered that Finley had contracted sepsis which was very serious, but because the doctors at North Devon District Hospital had already started treating him for that he was responding well to the antibiotics. Over the next 48 hours it was a waiting game to get to the bottom of what had caused this and to get him off the ventilator. It took a few days but then once he started getting better there was no stopping him. When he was in ICU he had a lumbar puncture to test him for meningitis which came back with a positive result, again luckily for Finley and us all, our North Devon District Hospital staff had already started him on treatment for that as well and we were assured that Finley was going to make a good recovery, but would need regular checks. They then scanned his brain and found no brain damage, and then they scanned his heart and found no damage here either. Because sepsis shuts down organs slowly, they all needed to be checked.
After 4 days Finley was transferred back to North Devon District Hospital, and was then discharged 2 days later. The rate of his recovery was unbelievable but without the fantastic work of the staff at both hospitals we dread to think what the outcome could have been. Looking at him now you wouldn’t believe he had been ill, and he has now been discharged of any further appointments.
They are pictured here with Colin Thorne of Webbers Estate Agents who sponsored the “Most Sponsorship Raised trophy” and Over and Above Fundraiser Julie Whitton.
After they had sold the items they had made, the children organised a fun evening with games and competitions. They also really enjoyed emptying their collecting pots into the Over and Above swirly wurly collecting tub.
Over and Above Fundraiser Julie Whitton is pictured with Mary Gallagher, Maureen Babb and Sylvia Chugg.