BLISS – The Premature Baby Charity
Did you know that one in
eight babies is born sick or premature? You probably all know someone whose baby was born ill or preterm. And did you know that around a quarter of
these babies need intensive care? Or
that the figure is rising? Yes, more and more babies are born every
year prematurely or have a very low birthweight and need specialist medical
help to survive.
BLISS is a leading charity
which was established over 26 years ago by a group of concerned parents. BLISS
is committed to improving survival chances for sick and premature babies and
ensuring they have the best quality of life. BLISS provides funding for innovative medical research into causes
of prematurity and campaigns for improvements in neonatal care.
They provide practical and emotional support for parents and fund professional
development and training in the field of neonatal care. They are dedicated to raising awareness of the
issues affecting premature babies.
Janine Canham, a mother of
premature babies who has lived in Hong Kong for 16 years, is running in the London Marathon on
22nd April, 2007 to raise vital funds and awareness for BLISS.
Janine, a lawyer who also
runs The Nanny Experts, has twin sons who were born 3 months premature,
weighing just 2lbs 11oz (1.2 kgs) and 2lbs 5oz (1.05 kgs). They spent 10 weeks in the neonatal intensive
care unit at the Queen Mary Hospital. They are now healthy
toddlers and Janine is running with the aim of helping other preemies
survive and do as well as her sons, Josh and Sam.
To sponsor Janine in the London Marathon
and to support BLISS, please visit
www.janinecanham.com. All
donations, however big or small, will make a difference to help save the lives
of sick and premature babies and improve their quality of life.
Your help and support is
invaluable.
You can read more about
BLISS on their website www.bliss.org.uk
tee (and readers) i know janine (and her gorgeous boys) and she is fantastic. i remember the day her boys were born, her husband sent out an email, "the canham boys are here!" and a few weeks from now, sam and josh will be screaming proudly, "look, mummy is here!" as she crosses the finish line. well done janine. thanks from the rest of the queen mary nicu parent survival team.
Posted by: tess | 27 February 2007 at 05:52 PM
I'm very glad that people like bliss are out there. My son was born prem and it could have been prevented but I recieved wrong info from my medicalaid helpline, if I had gone to hospital instead of staying home and having my belly and back rubed by my husband (this was there advice)- the worst thing I could have done as it stumulated the labour. But I was ignorant and a first time mom, so didn't know better. As a result by the time I got to hospital it was in full swing, they tried for 4 days to stop it but eventualy I had to go in for emergency C-section. To all mothers of prem babies my hart is with you, there was nothing worst than not being able to hold my baby, and having to watch a machine breath for him. I didn't know and was not informed about groups like this but I would have been first in line...
Posted by: TristonJ | 27 February 2007 at 05:53 PM
Does anyone know if we can donate in US$?
Posted by: Dani | 27 February 2007 at 07:31 PM
You can make donations online by credit card, so your home currency will not matter. Your card will be charged in pounds but you will pay your credit card in whatever you generally pay with (dollars, rand, etc.)
Posted by: Silene | 27 February 2007 at 08:06 PM
this is a great cause! my son was born prematurely!
Posted by: tanyetta | 27 February 2007 at 11:56 PM
Go girl go! Only 53 days to go! ;-) I will be cheering you on from HK waiting for Matt's text! Will donate soon, no worries!
Posted by: Jazz | 28 February 2007 at 07:53 AM
Even though I am lucky that my children are all fine but I got a friend who has a son who was born premature. By the stories she told me it's not easy to raise a premature baby. With all the problems that ordinary children do not have, they need all the support they will ever get.
Posted by: Abel | 28 February 2007 at 10:34 AM
Many thanks for all the supportive comments. Every little bit helps and means a lot.
Janine
Posted by: Janine | 01 March 2007 at 03:12 PM