Colchester: Ronnie's thank you to hospital which cared for twin granddaughters (From Essex County Standard)

Colchester: Ronnie's thank you to hospital which cared for twin granddaughters

9:00am Tuesday 10th November 2009

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A devoted granddad has pledged to give a hospital £2,000 for Christmas.

Ronnie Allwright's twin granddaughters Olivia and Yasmin were born in April at just under 25 weeks, weighing 1lb 9ozs and 1lb 7ozs.

They struggled for survival after their birth in the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, both battling heart problems while Yasmin suffered a brain haemorrhage.

But the pair fought on, and after nine weeks they were transferred to Colchester General Hospital.

The care they received at the special care baby unit (SCBU) helped them thrive, and the little fighters went home to Frinton in August.

Now, their grandfather Ronnie has vowed to say a big thank you to the hospital.

He is urging his customers at Burcarts ironmongers in Clacton to donate to SCBU's children's heart scanner appeal which is being supported by the Essex County Standard.

With £300 already in the pot, Mr Allwright is hoping the total will rise to £1,000 by Christmas.

And he has pledged to double the total with his own money.

He said: “I am extremely grateful to the staff in Colchester.

“If they had had the same equipment as Norwich the twins could have gone there straight away.

“It would have been much better for my son and his wife.

“It took them three and a half hours to get to Norwich and back every day.”

Mr Allwright is hoping the shop’s Halloween dummy will help draw customers’ attention to the cause.

“He’s holding a dish where they can put their cash,” he said.

“We’ve also put up a newspaper article about the twins so people know what we’re collecting for.”

Olivia and Yasmin represent the reason Colchester needs a dedicated heart scanner machine for children.

Both babies have a condition where a vessel called the ductus arteriosus did not close as it should have done after birth.

With it still open, a strain is put on the heart, while blood pressure in the lung arteries is increased.

As a result, the girls both need a heart scan to check on their conditions, but they have to wait until Colchester's adult machine becomes available.

With a new dedicated scanner for SCBU, the waiting time would be much reduced.

Their mother Michelle said: “Normally a baby has an operation to close the ductus arteriosus when they weigh about 20lbs.

“At the moment, Olivia weighs about 13lbs 6ozs and Yasmin is about 10lbs 6ozs.

“So until they are bigger, the scans are the only way of checking on their condition.”

But she added the twins were thriving thanks to the care they receive at Colchester General Hospital.

“They have check-ups every six to eight weeks,” she said.

“The hospital have been superb and we are 100 per cent confident with what they are doing.”

She added: “You'd never know the twins were premature now.

“They are both very alert and happy, and are always babbling to each other.

“They are doing ever so well.”

* The heart scanner costs £60,000 in total.

With £20,000 already raised, the Essex County Standard is urging readers to help reach the £40,000 still needed.

If you would like to donate, send a cheque made payable to the Children's Heart Scanner Appeal to children's services fundraising co-ordinator Graham Appleton at the children's ward, Colchester General Hospital, Turner Road, CO4 5JL.

Write Account 4LO4 on the back of the cheque.

For more information, contact Mr Appleton on 07929 751712 or graham.appleton@ntlworld.com

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