Home from Home gives family time together

A fund-raising campaign launches this week for a home from home which has helped 10,000 families. Catherine Scott reports.
PIC:  Richard Walker/www.imagenorth.netPIC:  Richard Walker/www.imagenorth.net
PIC: Richard Walker/www.imagenorth.net

“She was our baby and here for a reason. We were determined to do whatever necessary to give her a fighting chance.”

When Lisa Thompkins and her partner Buba Jallow found out they were expecting a baby girl they were overjoyed. Their excitement turned to fear when a scan detected that their baby had a serious heart defect and might not make it. If she survived the pregnancy, she would require lifesaving surgery just hours after birth at Leeds General Infirmary. The family from Shipley, were supported at Eckersley House and became the 10,000th family to be helped by the home from home, funded by the Sick Children’s Trust.

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“I was so happy to find out I was pregnant in early February 2015. But when a scan couldn’t detect a proper foetal heartbeat, we were transferred from our local hospital to Leeds General Infirmary, around 45 minutes from home,” recalls mum of four Lisa.

“Doctors told us our baby girl had a form of heart disease called pulmonary atresia, which meant blood could not flow from her heart to her lungs. In the next breath they asked whether we wanted to continue with the pregnancy. No one can begin to describe the pain of hearing those words.

“She was our baby and here for a reason. We were determined to do whatever necessary to give her a fighting chance.”

Lisa was booked into LGI to be induced, however, at her final check-up in October, the consultant discovered the baby had stopped growing. They were going to deliver her then and there.

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“Taniesha arrived weighing 5lb 2oz. She was so beautiful, just perfect, but before we could even give her a cuddle she was rushed straight to neonatal intensive care (NICU). I was transferred to a ward to recover from my caesarean, but my other three children were still at home. While Rebecca and Kyle were teenagers and old enough to cope, Lucie was only five and couldn’t understand why mummy wasn’t there.

“I missed them all desperately but I couldn’t leave my baby when her life was in the balance. I spent the whole time in tears; scared about what was going to happen, worrying about Lucie who was being shuttled between relatives. I hated every moment.

“Thankfully, that’s when the team at Eckersley House came into our lives. I was exhausted by the time I walked through the front door with Buba and was greeted by the Assistant House Manager Caroline.

“The house was bright and warm. A true ‘Home from Home’. When Caroline said our children could stay too, I sent for Lucie straight away. For Rebecca and Kyle, knowing they could visit any time was a huge relief to them and me. It meant I didn’t feel guilty about focussing all my attention on Taniesha’s recovery, as with Eckersley House, I could be there for them too. Instantly I began to feel calmer.

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“Looking back now, my emotions were a roller-coaster. We were told Taniesha had Down’s syndrome, then she needed bowel surgery. She came on and off oxygen and ventilation as her breathing improved then deteriorated, then improved again. It was awful, especially knowing my poor baby had been through so much and still needed heart surgery.

Sick Childrens Trust

Photograph by Richard Walker/ www.imagenorth.netSick Childrens Trust

Photograph by Richard Walker/ www.imagenorth.net
Sick Childrens Trust Photograph by Richard Walker/ www.imagenorth.net

“Being there at Eckersley House made this incredibly difficult time feel a bit more like normal life.

“With a new baby sister, it was important Lucie had her own time and attention and Eckersley House gave us the space to be a family, while knowing we were only ever five minutes away from Taniesha, whose condition was changing daily.”

At just three weeks old Taniesha under went open heart surgery. But she suffered a cardiac arrest during the procedure.

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“That night was one of the longest I’ve experienced, but I got a few hours’ sleep, knowing the phone by my bed in Eckersley (House) would ring the moment anything in her condition changed. My relief seeing her the next morning, with pink cheeks in her tiny incubator, was great.” Things didn’t exactly run smoothly from there. But despite every set back, Taniesha started to thrive.

Sick Childrens Trust

Photograph by Richard Walker/ www.imagenorth.netSick Childrens Trust

Photograph by Richard Walker/ www.imagenorth.net
Sick Childrens Trust Photograph by Richard Walker/ www.imagenorth.net

“She’s our miracle baby and such an important part of our family. Eckersley House gave us that time together to be there for her, when she was at her most vulnerable,” says Lisa. “We know Taniesha’s future won’t be straightforward. She still goes back and forth to hospital for check-ups and needs further surgeries, but we feel so blessed to have her in our lives. We also know Eckersley House will be there for us, whenever we need it. 

“We can’t thank The Sick Children’s Trust enough for everything they’ve done. It was horrendous, but they gave us the support we needed to be there for our baby, when the thing she needed most in the world was our love.”

Buba, Taniesha’s Dad, adds: “I’d have given anything to trade places with my baby daughter. Anything to give her a normal life. But at least I was there every day. I was by her side, holding her tiny hand, helping her fight on.”

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The family is now asking people to back the Sick Children’s Trust biggest annual fundraiser by holding a bake sale, tea party or bake-off to raise money for Big Chocolate Tea.

A donation of £30 from a Big Chocolate Tea event is enough to support a family for one night with vital free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation.

Last year, Big Chocolate Tea raised £60,000 which gave 2,000 families free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation, keeping them together when it matters most. The Sick Children’s Trust hopes this year’s campaign will be an even greater success. Eckersley House Manager, Jane McHale, says: “It’s so wonderful to hear that Taniesha is getting on well – she’s such a brave little girl and we’re delighted that she’s back home and enjoying time with her family. Big Chocolate Tea is all about getting together with friends, family and colleagues over tea and chocolate. At the same time, it’s a chance to make a difference to families with a seriously ill child. If you can raise £30 by holding a Big Chocolate Tea event, your money will go towards supporting a family, keeping them together when it matters most.”

The Big Chocolate Tea campaign launches on Friday and runs until May 1.

For more information and a fund-rasising pack visit: www.sickchildrenstrust.org/bigchoctea.