The parents of a baby girl born prematurely celebrated her first birthday by raising money for the charity that airlifted her to hospital.
Lucy Griffin, from Abercarn, South Wales, was six weeks away from her due date in July 2020 when she and her children Riley (6) and Millie (3) travelled to Cornwall for a camping holiday, where they planned to meet up with dad Andy, who had been working in the area.
However, upon their arrival at the campsite, Griffin realised her waters had broken and was rushed to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.
Once she had given birth to baby girl Jorgie, she was taken straight to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. After a week, the Wales Air Ambulance decided to transport her to the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport. Mr Griffin drove his wife to meet them there.
One year on, Jorgie celebrated her birthday in July and her parents marked the occasion by giving back to the Wales Air Ambulance for their support in the first weeks of her life.
Lucy explained: “This year we will not be giving Jorgie any gifts for her first birthday – instead we will be donating to the charity, and we are kindly asking our family and friends to do the same”.
“It is a big decision deciding not to give her any presents on her birthday but it’s worth it”.
“We are doing this because Jorgie already has the best gift she could ever wish for and that is life, thanks to the input of the Wales Air Ambulance; she doesn’t need material things to prove and show she is loved”.
“I’ll never be able to give enough or get enough donations to show my gratitude to the Wales Air Ambulance”.
Jorgie has battled sepsis, jaundice and developed a dairy intolerance during her short life so far. Despite all these hurdles, she is thriving and has met all her milestones.
Kelly Griffin, Jorgie’s aunt, said: “We will be forever grateful for everything they did for Jorgie and she may not have been able to celebrate her first birthday without them”.
“Presents are only material things, all she needs is love and we all have buckets of that to give her. She is a precious gift”.
Their fundraiser hit its original target of £200 in just five days. Jorgie’s parents then upped their target to £300. They also donated the £100 they would have spent on Jorgie’s first birthday presents to the charity.
Wales Air Ambulance fundraising manager Mark Stevens said: “Happy first birthday to Jorgie”.
“We are touched to hear her family have chosen to ask for donations in lieu of presents for her special birthday”.
“Is it lovely to hear that from the tiny baby that the Children’s Wales Air Ambulance transferred back to Wales that she’s now thriving and nearly walking one-year-old”.
“We wish her a happy and healthy future”.
A spokesperson for Right To Life UK, Catherine Robinson, said: “The heartwarming story of Jorgie’s survival after a difficult premature birth and battle with various illnesses, reminds us that inside or outside the womb, life is precious and worth fighting for. Thankfully, even though Jorgie was born prematurely, she is surviving and thriving. However, other babies in the womb at the same gestation can have their lives ended by abortion up to the point of birth if diagnosed with a disability”.
“The survival rate for babies born prematurely is improving all the time, and the discrimination at the heart of our abortion law is impossible to ignore”.
Photo credit: The Griffin Family
