When West Wollongong parents Sharon and Andrew Gilmour’s youngest child Payton starts Kindy next year, they will shed tears of joy.
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The milestone will mark how far their five-year-old daughter has come after being born with short gut syndrome which left her fighting for her life for four months in Sydney hospitals.
While most babies are born with 1.5 metres of small intestine, little Payton only had 50cm and that was in multiple pieces – something a baby should not survive.
Within a month she had undergone two laparotomies to piece her intestine together and with the help of expert medical care – and a lot of love – she has not only survived, but thrived.
Now the Gilmours are giving back to those who cared for Payton by acting as national spokespeople for this month’s Hugs for Healing campaign. They feature in a video campaign to raise awareness of the lifesaving services provided by Children’s Hospitals Foundation Australia (CHFA).
‘’My 34-week ultrasound revealed that my baby’s bowel was enlarged and full of liquid – that was on the Friday and on the Monday I delivered her at 35 weeks,’’ Mrs Gilmour said.
‘’When she was born an x-ray found her small intestine was in pieces and we were transferred from Wollongong Hospital to the Royal Hospital for Women where she underwent surgery and was in intensive care for a month.’’
Payton had to be fed through tubes, and would spend three months at Sydney Children’s Hospital, then two months recovering at Wollongong Hospital before being allowed home for Christmas in 2010.
The couple said they could not thank hospital staff enough for catering for Payton’s physical, and emotional, needs.
‘’We could not be at hospital all the time as we had other children to care for so to know that Payton was in good hands when we weren’t able to be with her was such a comfort,’’ Mr Gilmour said.
‘’There’s even volunteer huggers – many of them older ladies – who go to the children’s hospitals to hug and hold sick babies.
‘’When we’d arrive in the ward and see Payton getting cuddled by a nurse or a volunteer, it was so comforting.’’
Huggies has partnered with CHFA for the campaign, which will raise funds for medical equipment for children’s hospitals.
In the campaign video Janet Burke, head of child life therapy at Randwick children’s hospital, talks about the power of hugs.
‘’Research shows time and time again that hugs are fundamental to children’s healthcare and well-being.’’