Dad of premature son cycles 100-mile marathon to help sick babies - The Solihull Observer

Dad of premature son cycles 100-mile marathon to help sick babies

Solihull Editorial 22nd Jul, 2017   0

A COVENTRY dad is to raise funds to help sick and premature babies with a 100-mile cycling marathon – after the birth of his son Jamie.
Adrian Yeo has a very personal reason why he’ll be participating in this year’s Prudential RideLondon Surrey 100 on July 30, raising money for charity Bliss.
Last June, Adrian’s wife – Amy – gave birth to their son via c-section at 28 weeks.
Baby Jamie weighed just 2lb at birth and spent 11 weeks at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire.
Jamie, the couple’s first child, spent three weeks intubated and battled chronic lung disease during his stay on the neonatal unit.
After going home, Jamie needed oxygen to help with his breathing for a few months but is now a healthy one-year-old.
Amateur cyclist Adrian, 46, a lawyer from Barnacle, has already raised almost £2,000 for Bliss.
Prudential RideLondon is a huge festival of cycling, and more than 100,000 cyclists are expected to take part.
Adrian said: “We witnessed firsthand through our experience, and through our contact and friendships with other parents of premature babies, the pressures and challenges that face premature babies and their families. We also experienced the kindness and support from volunteers, including the Bliss volunteers.
“I usually cycle 14 miles to the train station every day but have been in serious training for a month. I hope to raise as much money as possible to help support the one in nine babies that are born every year in this country in need of neonatal care.”
One in every nine babies is born sick or premature in the UK every year.
Caroline Lee-Davey, Chief Executive of Bliss, said: “We are so grateful Adrian and all the cyclists taking part in RideLondon to raise money for us.
“Their support is invaluable in helping us to achieve our ambition to reach every single baby born needing neonatal care in the UK and their family. We want every baby to benefit from our work, no matter how long they live or how long they spend on a neonatal unit.”
If you would like to support Adrian, you can donate to his fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/adrian-yeo?utm_id=25

Announcements

Weddings, Birthdays, Bereavements, Thank you notices, Marriages and more.

Subscribe

Receive a weekly update to your inbox by signing up to our weekly newsletter.

Recruitment

Find a career you'll love with our free career finder website.

Buy Photos

Buy photos online from the Solihull Observer newspaper.