Heartbeat: Baby Gibson first to benefit from patient generosity
May 12, 2020
Two-day-old, Kade Gibson was keen to show off his latest knitwear thanks to the kindness of former patient, Julita Dirsaite.
Julita was in our maternity department two and a half years ago and after the fantastic care she received whilst at the Trust, she made the decision she wanted to give back to the nurses and midwives at the hospital.
Being an enthusiastic knitter and the drive to help others, Julita decided she wanted to knit clothes for one of our most vulnerable group of patients and those just starting out in life, premature babies. Items included tiny knitted converse boots, ballerina shoes, flower blankets and bonnets. As well as knitting for the little babies, she also knitted a few accessories for our midwives including pen pots to store stationary as gifts for their continued hard work in the department.
Claire Cushing, M2 Ward Manager is one of many colleagues to get a gift from Julita and believes the donations from her will really help our patients.
She said: “We were overwhelmed with the donations from Julita and very much appreciate them all in our department. All the clothes, booties and blankets that have been knitted will really benefit the babies in maternity and their parents.”
Amanda Winwood, Fundraising Manager at Your Trust Charity facilitated the knitwear for maternity and echoes Claire’s views.
She said: “Unfortunately we have many mums who struggle to get hold of clothing for their premature babies, but by having our community support us in making such beautiful gifts and giving their time allows us to support our patients in the very early days. Julita’s gifts tie in perfectly with it being Year of the Nurse and Midwife 2020, and showing how appreciated they are.”
Angela Jane Gibson, mum of Kade Gibson was thankful for the donation and said, “It was really kind of the charity and hospital to provide Kade with a set of knitwear and booties when he was born.”
She added: “I must say a massive thank you to both as well as a special thanks to Julita for knitting them.”