Parents hope to open cash floodgates with dam walk

Rebecca Haigh, from Wakefield, gave birth to her son Jakob more than two months early in November last year.

He was able to leave hospital and go home – but, a few days later, Mrs Haigh woke to find that he had stopped breathing.

Jakob was then rushed to intensive care at The Children’s Hospital in Sheffield.

Mrs Haigh, 28, said: “Jakob had developed a little bit of a cold and, because I knew premature babies are particularly susceptible to bugs because of their low immune systems, I had been keeping a really close eye on him.

“When he got poorly, everything happened so quickly. It felt like an out-of-body experience and I was really scared for Jakob, but the doctors and nurses always made me feel as though he was in the best hands.”

Jakob and his family, including dad James and older brother Kadyn, spent six weeks in hospital over Christmas and New Year, until his lungs had recovered and he was strong enough to breathe on his own.

Mrs Haigh added: “Because he was so tiny, they needed special-sized tubes to ventilate him, which they didn’t have at our local adult hospital.

“We spent our time on the ward surrounded by equipment which was designed to be used on children of all different sizes.

“It’s not something you think about until it happens to you, but it made me realise what a special place the hospital was, and how it important one little tube can be when it is your child that needs help.”

Eight-month old Jakob is growing stronger but still attends the Sheffield hospital for regular check-ups.

The Haigh family are now planning to take part in the circular Three Dams Walk through the Derwent Valley on Sunday October 7.

Walkers can choose from a five, 10, or 15-mile walk around Ladybower, Derwent and Howden reservoirs.