Baby Ada being held by her parents Nick and Becky at Evelina London Children

Ada’s incredible legacy

In memory of Ada’s strength, her parents Nick and Becky are raising money to help more babies receive compassionate, trailblazing care at Evelina London.

Sensitive content: this article deals with themes of infant loss.

Ada’s journey to Evelina London

On the day of their daughter Ada’s birth, Nick and Becky went with her to Evelina London Children’s Hospital from their local hospital in Guildford. Over the next 17 days, they experienced the amazing care provided by the dedicated Evelina London team every single day.

While she was pregnant, Becky explains, everything was very straightforward and they expected a small but healthy baby. Then, when Ada was born, everything changed. “It quickly became clear that she was struggling to breathe,” Becky says, “and she had to be resuscitated. Then, she was put on a ventilator and sedated.”

For three hours Nick waited, while Becky recovered and Ada was taken to urgent care. Eventually, Nick and Becky were able to meet their daughter as plans were being made to transfer Ada to Evelina London. “We hadn’t heard of Evelina London, and when you’re expecting a baby, you don’t really contemplate needing neonatal care… At full-term, we thought the risky bit was over,” Becky says.

Becky is sat in a blue chair, reading a story book to her daughter Ada who is laid in her arms. Beside them is machinery and they are in Evelina London Children

Becky reading to her daughter, Ada

Specialist care in NICU

When they arrived at Evelina London, Ada was taken to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), while Becky went to the postnatal ward for further recovery. The couple learned that Ada had Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN), a condition that prevents blood from circulating properly through the lungs. With dedicated care from the NICU team, she began to recover.

At four days old, Ada came off ventilation and could finally be held by her parents. “She was doing so well, and we knew how strong she was. We had a lovely few days when she initially came off ventilation where we just held her as much as we could, and we felt like the luckiest parents in the world after the scariest first few days… We cried so many happy tears of relief when the doctors said we’d soon be able to go back to our local hospital.”

However, at eight days old, Ada started needing more support to breathe. The family returned to NICU after thinking that this level of care was behind them. “On that ward, we had heartbreak and hope as she got better and then became ill again. There were times we thought we’d lose her, but we didn’t.” Becky shares.

"We went through so much and the staff were there throughout. It felt like they held our hands and guided us through everything that was happening, giving us options and helping us make the most of the time we had. I genuinely feel that we saw the best of humankind in that hospital.”

Becky, Ada’s mum

Baby Ada being held by her dad, Nick at Evelina London Children

Nick holding his daughter, Ada

Precious moments together

After 17 days, Becky and Nick said goodbye and Ada passed away peacefully in her Daddy’s arms.

During Ada’s time at Evelina London, she got to meet her grandparents, her aunts, her uncles, and some of her cousins. They supported Nick and Becky throughout, sharing both the hope and heartbreak. Ada was read lots of stories, sang songs and nursery rhymes, and they all made sure she knew how deeply loved she was.

“Ada fought so hard to stay with us and we want her to be remembered for how strong she was. We know now that her illness was irreversible, so for her to hold on and stay with us as long as she did is a testament to her strength. That strength keeps us going now.”

Ada’s lasting impact

Inspired by Ada’s strength, Becky and Nick are raising money in her memory for Evelina London Children’s Charity. The money raised will be a legacy for their daughter and give people a way to honour her on special days for years to come.

“Around the time of Ada’s funeral, people started asking about where they could donate and we knew straight away that it would be for Evelina. We will always be grateful that, although we didn’t get to bring her home, we had such amazing care and some really special moments with our little girl.”

Donations made in Ada’s memory will support the incredible team at Evelina London by funding vital resources such as neonatal equipment, ventilators and travel incubators. Your support will also help future projects like virtual tours of the unit before families are able to visit.

Help continue Ada’s legacy