A mother whose baby son had to have surgery when he was just one hour old says she is determined to raise money for the nursing teams who saved his life.
Debbie Huckerby, 36, from Burton, gave birth to Hunter Edwards on January 2, this year, at Birmingham Women's Hospital. But within the first hour of his life he was rushed to Birmingham Children's Hospital for emergency surgery because he had been born with a congenital heart defect.
Hunter underwent surgery after her his parents were told he would not survive without it. He is now three months old and doing fine.
Debbie said that Hunter, her youngest son, was born with a hole in his heart and his arteries were the wrong way round. he underwent the initial surgery and then when he was just six days old he had to undergo open heart surgery to fix the defect he had been born with.
The mum-of-four, who works as a housekeeper, said: "Looking back now, I can't really remember it all.
"It was extremely difficult, but I have three other children, so I had to keep going for them; they still had to go to school and have dinner waiting for them when they got home.
"I think I have blocked a lot of it out because of how hard it was. Luckily, he is doing fine now and we all love him so much."
Debbie and Hunter's father Lee Edwards, have nothing but praise for the staff of Birmingham Children's Hospital and Debbie says she now wants to raise money for the hospital so that other children can receive the same care and attention Hunter did when he was poorly.
Debbie said: "The staff at the hospital are amazing. They really, really are. Hunter was in intensive care for a few weeks and he got one-to-one care from the nurses.
"There would be a nurse sat by his bedside 24/7, and it's wonderful to know that he wasn't on his own at any point when he was poorly.
"All I can do is say thank you to everyone who was involved in his care.
"Hunter is fine now, but we still have to go for check-ups and seeing all the poorly children breaks my heart. Seeing such young children in such a bad way made me realise how important it is to support the hospital and raise money for them wherever I can.
She will be holding a family fun day at Shobnall Sports and Social Club on Sunday, May 27, from 11am and it will be open for all ages.
The event will feature a variety of different entertainers including Phatmagic, Pet Parties and Moo Music, along with a barbecue, an array of stalls and a tombola and raffle to keep people entertained all through the day.
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There are still some spaces for stalls left, and so Debbie is appealing for anyone who would like a stall, whether they offer home-made treats, cupcakes, jewellery or anything else.
Anyone who wants a stall or to donate anything towards the raffle can do so by getting in touch with the team organising the day on annated@hotmail.co.uk or letsgetfundraising27@gmail.com or by calling 07518 428586.
