Glenn’s pram push to save local premi-babes

Every new parent knows the feeling, dead-beat after pushing around your bub’s pram all day long…

 Local mortgage broker Glenn Atkinson certainly understands, next summer he’s pushing his twin daughters’ pram all the way from here to Sydney to help save infant lives.

 Glenn wants to raise thousands for neonatal equipment for Orange following complications from his partner’s recent pregnancy.

 “My wife and I, Renee, we had identical twins in February this year, but they were born six weeks premature at the Royal Hospital for Women at Randwick,” he explained.

 “But at one point, we were looking at them being born at 25–26 weeks, which is very premature,” he added.

 Renee’s girls, Eleanor, and Zoe shared a reasonably-common medical condition caused by uneven access to their shared placenta, Glenn said.

 “In effect, my daughter Ellie only received 30 per cent of the nutrition and suffered from restrictive growth while Zoe had access to 70 percent of the nutrition.

 “They found-out we were having twins from eight weeks, and we had to be in Sydney every second week, and then they told us at 20-weeks, they may have to clamp Ellie’s chord to save Zoe,” he added.

 Doctors though were able to stabilise the two unborn babies who were safely delivered in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal.

At just 34 weeks into term, they were small: Zoe arrived first, weighing 2.1 kilograms; Ellie – a little (big) sister– was born two minutes later weighing just 1.27 kilograms.

In the following days Zoe and Ellie remained in humidicribs in the neonatal intensive care unit with these sealed cots providing a warm, cocoon-like environment for premature babies which protects them from infection and spares them from expending vital energy to keep warm.

Sixteen days later the Atkinsons were flown to Orange so that the girls could continue their treatment in Orange Health Service’s special care unit.

The twins remained in humidicribs there as their respiratory systems and general strength grew before their proud parents took them home for the first time.

Glenn however wants to see a system where unborn babies in his daughters’ position can be delivered safely locally.

 “Our daughters were high-risk so they couldn’t be delivered at Orange Hospital, but I’d love to see a time where we could handle a lot more premi-babes from here,” he said.

 In January next year Glenn aims to push his daughters’ double-pram all the 270 kilometres from Orange to Randwick, starting and ending at the points on the map which have been truly vital to his young family.

 In doing this, he’s hoping to raise $65,000 for install life-saving neonatal equipment at Orange Health Service and the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick.

“It’s becoming bigger than Texas — I need all my traffic management plans in place, a support car has to drive behind me, and I have to email my exact time and route for each day,” he said.

Knowing the arduous nature of such a journey in mid-January, he is getting in serious shape already.  “Since I started in August, I’ve walked 205km, and I did the Dubbo half-marathon virtually.

“In October, I’m going to do the City-to-Surf distance, but around Orange. My birthday is in November, then I’m going to walk a marathon around Orange,” he explained.

Still only 35, he plays squash and used to run-around the rugby field, but doesn’t fancy doing the distance at a jog.

“I can’t do a marathon, I’m short and stocky and not in very athletic shape, but I can walk… I’m alright at walking,” he said.

In the weeks since launching a website promoting his walk more than $35,000 has been donated, including plenty from family and friends of the couple. But what’s really helping to bolster the tally are further substantial commitments from Orange’s businesses.

 “I can’t thank our friends and family enough for getting the fundraising started so well. These are the people who know Renee and I and what our girls went through, and on that front alone their support means a lot to us,” he said.

 “But to crack $65,000 I need more donations from businesses who want to help give something to the community which will save lives. That’s what I hope they’ll see this as because that’s what it is – an opportunity to save the lives of premature babies.

 The fundraising and walk — dubbed “Glenn’s Push from the Bush” — is being coordinated through the Running for Premature Babies Foundation, which was established in 2007 by Sophie Smith after she and her late husband lost their set of triplet sons following an extremely premature birth at 24 weeks.

 To donate to Glenn or to find out more information about his family’s story and walk head to: https://www.runningforprematurebabies.com/fundraisers/glennatkinson/your-event.

Business owners and managers interested in supporting can contact Glenn on 0422 307 605 or glennatkinson@pmwplus.com.au.

 So as soon as the Christmas/New Year pudding is all digested, Glenn is starting his trek to help other families in the future facing the same difficulties he and Renee have.

 “My plan is to start on the third of January,” Glenn concluded.