Miracle Miles Grabs a Grand

The generous Norfolk family who chose to raise money for Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital Buxton Children’s ward at little Miles Skinner’s 1st birthday party have managed to raise in excess of £1,100.

To celebrate Miles first milestone birthday a large celebratory party was held at Elms Farm with donations to the ward gathered instead of additional toys for the brave little tot.

Stacey Skinner, mother of Miles, said: “Miles has hundreds of toys so it seemed more fitting to donate the money which would have been spent on gifts to the Children’s play area at the hospital to help other little children in the same position.”

Although on a strict low fat, non-cows protein diet, Miles socialises with other NICU babies and will continue to develop with the aid of the paediatric and neonatal medical teams at NNUH.

Emma Dolman, Matron of NNUH’s Buxton ward said: “We are very grateful to the Skinner family for thinking of us. We are really pleased to see Miles progressing well and any charitable funds received will go towards making the environment friendlier for our younger visitors such as Miles.”

Previously the Skinner family has donated more than £2,000 to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and the Foetal Medicine Fund where Miles spent a lot of his time when he was first born. Although a happy and healthy one-year–old, Miles spends a lot of time on the Buxton Children’s ward and the birthday donation will be going towards their new playground.

NICU and Buxton Children’s Ward are both part of the hospital charity. If you would like to do any fundraising for the hospital please contact NNUH fundraising manager Louise Cook on Louise.Cook@nnuh.nhs.uk who will be happy to help.

Note to editors
Miles was born six weeks early via Caesarean-section at 34 weeks at NNUH after severe ascites was discovered at 29 weeks. Weighing 7lb 4oz when born, it is believed 2lb of the weight was fluid which needed to be drained from Miles’ abdomen. Nearly a pint of the fluid was drained before Miles even entered the world.

Miles spent nearly the first three weeks of his life in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit before going on to spend seven and a half weeks on Buxton ward where it was discovered Miles not only had the condition chylous ascites, a rare form of ascites (fluid in the abdomen) where the body cannot break down and absorb fat and instead collects in the body, but was also allergic to cows milk protein preventing him from being able to have breast or standard formula milks. The pressure of the fluid caused the tiny tot to be born with two hernias.

Miles was unable to be fed with any milk at all for more than six weeks and during this period on Buxton ward he required special liquid feeding directly into his bloodstream to help the abdominal swelling to resolve while helping him to develop and gain weight. At 12 weeks old Miles was finally able to go home on a special milk feed to be with the rest of his family, Mum Stacey, Dad Chris and older brother Toby.