Great Doddington parents taking the plunge for hospital which saved their daughter's life

A couple are taking on a 100ft abseil down the side of the same hospital that they credit with saving their young daughter’s life.

Nerice and Jason Burrows of Great Doddington are taking on the challenge after their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Lily received extensive treatment for respiratory and stomach problems at Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Mum Nerice, 37, says she and husband Jason, 35, are 'eternally grateful' to Leicester’s Hospitals for the treatment and care they have given to Lily throughout her short life so far.

Nerice said: “We can’t thank Leicester’s Hospitals enough for how they saved our baby girl and also supported us as family.

“We thought this was the perfect way to raise some money as we are abseiling at the place we spent so much of our life and who we are eternally grateful to.”

Born at 32 weeks, Lily was transferred from Kettering Hospital to Leicester Royal Infirmary at three-months-old with severe breathing difficulties.

After an extended stay in intensive care and then the high-dependency ward, Lily was diagnosed with ‘Pierre Robin Sequence’, meaning her jaw had not grown as it should and was obstructing her airway.

Nerice said: “Lily is our hero and such a fighter.

"She battled so much in her first 15 months in hospital and continues to do so.

“We were told that it could have been a 'catastrophic brain injury.'

"So to be told that it could actually be understood, managed and could even possibly get better was a relief.”

Lily underwent an operation at just one-year-old to help improve her condition, but has needed regular and lengthy stays in hospital.

Nerice says she and Jason opted to have Lily admitted to Leicester Royal Infirmary due to the standard of care they provided.

Nerice said: “To this day Lily still has extra needs and a few too many hospital admissions for our liking, but we instantly feel safe at this hospital.

“We’ve spent most of our time on Ward 10 and they have become our family.

"We will always have a special place in our hearts for each and every one of them and can never thank them enough.

"From the emergency department to intensive care they all know our Lily and we know the care and support we will receive is outstanding.”

When Nerice and Jason heard about the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal’s Big Abseil event, they decided it was the perfect way to help give something back to the hospital that had come to mean so much to them.

Nerice said: “We wanted to do something to help raise some much needed funds for the new Leicester Children’s Hospital.

“This will not only enhance what they already have, but also give us a children’s hospital in our region that can continue to help children like Lily who need that extra care.”

The Burrows are among 70 people who will be scaling 100ft down the side of the Windsor Building of the Leicester Royal Infirmary on March 28 to raise money for the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal.

The appeal aims to raise £7.5million to help give the East Midlands its first dedicated, single-site children’s hospital and make children’s services more effective and efficient for patients, their families as well as hospital staff.

Anyone wanting to contribute towards the Leicester Children’s Hospital Appeal can visit DoThemProud.com to donate.

They can also follow the appeal on Facebook at FB.me/DoThemProud and help spread the word on social media using #DoThemProud