By Victoria Stone-Meadows
A young family from Botanic Ridge are celebrating the first anniversary of their son’s birth by fund-raising for the hospital that saved their precious child’s life.
After seven or eight rounds of IVF, first-time mum Kylie Angwin was blessed with the gift of life – but complications from a short cervix would mean her child made an untimely arrival.
On 20 April, 2016, Oliver James Angwin came into this world at a tiny 786 grams and 16 weeks early, at the Monash Hospital in Clayton.
The first four months of Oliver’s life was spent in the intensive neonatal care unit of Monash Hospital and at times mother Kylie wasn’t sure her young child would make it.
“When he was being born, we were told he didn’t make it before I delivered him,” she said.
“An hour after that he had a heartbeat and the neonatal specialist resuscitated him.”
“He had a rough time in the first few weeks of his life; he was ventilated, had many transfusions and tests, he spent 120 days in the Monash so for four months every day we going in and out to be able to see him and watch him grow.”
Oliver’s premature entry into the world means his physical development is a bit delayed but defying the odds and having his first birthday hasn’t slowed him down.
“When he came home he needed oxygen to assist with breathing, which he only just come off this week; he was 11 months old and breathing alone for the first time,” Ms Angwin said.
“He’s great now, happy and active; he’s 7.5kg so he’s pretty much the size of a seven month old.”
Now the family want to give back to the doctors and nurses who saved their son’s life by fund-raising to supply the hospital with a Newborn Anne mannequin.
The mannequin is designed for skills training in neonatal resuscitation with anatomical accuracy and a product feature set designed to focus on the critical resuscitation skills required in the first 10 minutes of a newborn’s life.
The family are raising the money through the Monash Health Foundation’s Everyday Hero appeal.
To find out more about the fund-raiser or to donate visit: www.mhfcelebrations.everydayhero.com/au/oliver-celebrates-turning-one
