On 23rd July between 10am-1pm, The David Wilson Estate in Whitchurch became a parade of; trucks, tractors, racing cars, motorbikes and classic cars. This was in celebration of motor-mad miracle Reggie’s fourth birthday and his mum’s Sahara Trek for charity.
1.4 Pounds
Four years earlier, Mikaela and husband David Cox embarked on a heart-wrenching journey when Reggie was born at just 24 weeks – a whole 16 weeks early – and weighing a tiny 1.4 pounds. Despite being close to death at multiple points in his little life, Reggie has survived and thrived, but not without complications – a chronic lung condition means he has been at home for the past five months.
Mikaela says “It’s been such a long journey and lockdown has been hard for Reggie. We were so sad that his fourth birthday would be a bit of a non-event as we have to shield him.
“He is completely obsessed by all things with wheels and engines so I asked on the local Friends of Whitchurch site if anyone with any kind of vehicle could drive past our house or somewhere we could safely take him to see them. I was completely overwhelmed by the response of the people of Whitchurch! It absolutely made his day.”
Sahara Desert Trek
The post received over 120 comments with people offering all kinds of vehicles to drive past on the day, including vintage three-wheelers, American pick-ups, racing cars, camper vans and tractors.
Mikaela, who works in Wrexham, is currently fundraising ahead of a gruelling 100km trek across the Sahara Desert in November to raise for The Sick Children’s Trust who were vital in supporting both parents while Reggie spent his first four-and-a- half months in hospital.
Providing a home from home minutes from his bedside meant the family could be there at a moment’s notice. It also gave them a safe space where they found support with other families experiencing similar horrendous circumstances.
Details About the Appeal
Mikaela’s Just Giving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/reggies-journey
Reggie’s story: www.facebook.com/reggiesjourneyhome
The World Health Organisation gives the following definitions for the different stages of preterm birth:
- Extremely preterm: before 28 weeks
- Very preterm: from 28 to 32 weeks
- Moderate to late preterm: from 32 to 37
Around 7% of births in the UK are preterm – that is 60,000 babies each year
Of the births that were preterm in the UK, only 5% were extremely preterm (before 28 weeks). Medical advances mean that we are getting better at treating preterm babies, but the chances of survival still depend on gestational age (week of pregnancy) at time of birth. Twenty-two weeks is around 10% and 24 weeks is approximately 60% (from tommys.org).
