Parsons Green Dad Raises Huge Sum To Buy Incubator
Jonathan Wallach ran in world's toughest footrace to help premature babies
Lottie has raised more than £1,100 to donate to the Tech4Kids appeal
A man from Parsons Green has raised over £30,000 to fund a specialist incubator for Chelsea and Westminster Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
50-year-old Jonathan Wallach ran the toughest footrace on earth last month – the Marathon des Sables – to raise funds for a state-of-the-art incubator, where his daughter India was cared for last year. Born prematurely at 28 weeks and weighing only 2.5lb, India stayed in an incubator for many weeks, but survived and is now a thriving one year old.
Jonathan, who successfully completed six marathons in seven days and a total of 157 miles in the Moroccan Sahara Desert for the gruelling challenge, said, “My wife, Georgia, and I owe so much to Chelsea and Westminster’s NICU, and we are thrilled to have raised enough to purchase a new incubator for the hospital. The challenge was brutal and very, very tough, but the end result was so worth it, and I would like to thank everyone who donated and supported me along the way. I was also born early – by five weeks – and started life in an incubator so I know only too well the importance of incubators for both babies and their families. An incubator saved my life as well as my daughter’s.”
Jonathan's daughter India is now thriving after being born prematurely
World Prematurity Day was on 17 November and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and its official charity CW+ took the opportunity a special thank you to Jonathan
All money raised from Jonathan’s challenge will go towards a Giraffe OmniBed Carestation for fragile premature babies. The advanced technology of this specialist incubator will ensure that the poorliest of babies no longer need to undergo the stress of being transferred to another incubator for surgery, as they can stay in the Giraffe OmniBed right through to the theatre.
Kerry Huntington, Fundraising Director at CW+, said, “Jonathan has undertaken a remarkable challenge, and we are so very grateful to him for all his support. He has raised a fantastic amount of money and the new incubator will make a big difference to our tiny patients and their families in NICU. A heartfelt thanks to everyone who donated to Jonathan’s fundraiser, your support will undoubtedly help save babies’ lives.”
The new incubator will be situated in Chelsea and Westminster Hospital’s new NICU unit, which officially opened earlier this year after extensive renovations. The new unit, which was also made possible by charitable support, includes more space, the latest technologies and innovations, and improved healing environments such as adaptive circadian rhythm lighting to match the needs of human biological cycles that can be individualised for each baby.
For information on fundraising for CW+, visit the charity’s web site.
To make a donation to CW+ via Jonathan’s his JustGiving page is active until 30 November.
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November 29, 2021