Local mum faces her fears to give back to St Helier’s Life-Saving Neonatal Unit

Local mum, Karin Gumble is preparing to take on the Abseil St Helier challenge to support the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) that cared for her daughter during the her first weeks of life.

In November 2018, Karin’s daughter, Vevie Coco Gumble, was born 14 weeks early at St George’s Hospital before being transferred to St Helier’s NICU two weeks later. The family spent eight weeks at St Helier, where the dedicated team provided life-saving care for Vevie, helping her thrive and grow before she was discharged- an entire month before her due date.

Reflecting on that time, Karin said:

“We became part of the furniture and got to know all of staff. They are such an amazing team doing genuinely life-saving things as part of their jobs every day. They took care of all of us- not just Vevie, in such a fantastic way. It’s still very emotional to reflect on. She’s now a big, bright, and very strong-minded six-year-old, so it’s high time we did something to pay back their efforts.”

To show her gratitude, Karin is taking on the Abseil St Helier, facing her fears to raise funds for the NICU. Despite feeling nervous about stepping over the edge, she’s keeping her focus on the bigger picture.

“I took this opportunity to raise money for the NICU but haven’t really thought about the details of what I’ve got myself into!”

Karin is urging others to take inspiration and get involved in supporting the hospital that provides such vital care to families like hers.

“Go for it- these hospitals need all the support we can give them.”

If you’d like to support Karin’s fundraising efforts visit https://esthcharity.enthuse.com/pf/karin-gumble or find out more about how you can get involved please visit https://www.esthcharity.org.uk/