A FAMILY separated from their premature son at birth have given back to those who helped save his life by fundraising to open a new parents room at Furness General Hospital.

Alfie Jack Simpson was born six weeks prematurely on June 12 2016 at Furness General Hospital.

But soon after his condition became so severe that he had to be transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI).

To help repay the lifesaving care that all the staff at FGH and RLI provided, the family has helped to open a new room which allows parents to stay at FGH on the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) if their newly-born baby is poorly, or needs that little extra help.

Officially opened on Monday 14 January, the Simpson family from Arrad Foot, near Ulverston, along with all their family and friends raised over £9000 for Bay Hospitals Charity, the official charity of the trust, which runs FGH by holding a number of fundraising events.

This included a barn dance on their farm, a charity auction and a dance in a village hall for Alfie’s grandfather's 70th birthday.

In addition, the family’s generous donation also allowed Bay Hospitals Charity to purchase 4 recliner chairs on the SCBU that allow new mums, or their partners to hold their babies by the side of the incubators or cot side and are more comfortable for new mums who have had a caesarean birth. The chairs can also be turned into flat beds, allowing partners to stay over.

Talking about the traumatic experience, Alfie’s mum Jill said: “I cannot begin to describe how awful it was to be separated from Alfie Jack at a time that should have been one of the happiest times in our lives.

“They took Alfie Jack away in an ambulance and he spent four days on ICU at the RLI before they brought him back to FGH where he spent another seven weeks in hospital before he was finally discharged and we could bring him home.

“The day we were told we could bring him home was such a special day for us all.  Unless you've been in that situation yourself, you cannot begin to know how it feels to be apart from your new-born baby.

“Being here today with Alfie Jack - who is now 2 and half years old - and seeing the new parent’s room for the first time makes me and Stuart feel so proud.

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“As a family, we really wanted to give something back to the hospital because without the incredible care we received from all the teams at FGH and the RLI, Alfie wouldn't be here today.

Jill adds: “On behalf of all my family, I want to thank all the doctors and nurses at both FGH and the RLI who were all absolutely fantastic but especially Charlotte Johnson, Clinical Leader on the SCBU at FGH and Barbara Foster, Acting Unit Manager/Specialist Neonatal Nurse Practitioner on the SCBU at FGH, who both incredible and really went above and beyond".

Nicola Askew, Associate Director of Nursing & Therapy Service for Children & Young People at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust (UHMBT) said: “On behalf of the whole team on SCBU at FGH, I’d like to offer my heartfelt thanks to Jill, Stuart, their daughters Katie, Hayley, Courtney and Jodie and all their family and friends on their fantastic fundraising efforts.

“I’d also like to thank Lauren Beaumont, Commissioning Officer from our Capital Services team who project managed the new room right from the start and got us where we are today.

“It is so humbling when local people from Barrow and the surrounding areas fundraise or donate to our hospital charity allowing us to purchase the latest state-of-the art-equipment or, in this case improve the hospital environment to ensure patients we care for really do receive the best care possible.

"It was lovely to meet the family and especially Alfie Jack, who is an absolute star. The new parents room and chairs the charity purchased from the Simpson family's generous donation will leave a lasting legacy and will help other local families for many years to come".

If you would like to fundraise for a special hospital ward at FGH that’s close to your heart, please visit: http://www.bayhospitalscharity.org/donate