St Margarets couple donates equipment that saved their baby's life

Charlotte and David Mines, from St Margarets, raised £18,400 to buy a cooling mattress and contribute to the cost of a brain function monitor after their son William received the treatment at St Mary’s Hospital soon after he was born in July 2011.

The specialist cooling equipment to protect the brains of newborn babies was presented to Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust’s neonatal service by charity, the Winnicott Foundation on September 25.

The charitable act came after William was born not breathing and without a pulse. He was transferred to the Winnicott baby unit at St Mary’s and placed on a cooling mattress.

Mrs Mines said: “It was a very distressing time. William had no heartbeat for six minutes and didn’t breathe for 13 minutes, but he’s a little fighter and seems to have responded well to treatment.

“It will take some years to find out if he has suffered any long-term effects but he’s currently doing well and is a joy to be with.

“We’re very aware that this is due to the fantastic medical care he received at St Mary’s Hospital and in particular the specialist cooling therapy. We decided to fundraise for more equipment as there are only a limited number of these cooling beds in the UK and we want as many babies as possible who need it to have access to this life-saving treatment.”

The money will go toward two sets of cooling equipment, which include a body cooling wrap or mattress and a brain function monitor, which will be installed at the Winnicott baby unit at St Mary’s Hospital.

Charity trustee Elliot Lipton said: “We’re delighted to be presenting this equipment to the neonatal unit at St Mary’s.

“My twins, who were born prematurely, spent 14 weeks on the unit at St Mary’s and since then many more babies have benefited from the specialist equipment here.

“The partnership between the Winnicott Foundation and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust has changed and touched the lives of many parents and their children.”