Miracle twins put on their silly socks for hospital charity

MIRACLE twins from Warrington who defied the odds are supporting a silly socks fundraiser to help premature babies like themselves.
Joseph and Lucas Dorey from Great Sankey were delivered by emergency caesarean, each weighing little more than a bag of sugar.
Now almost two, the boys are going from strength to strength and joined staff from Warrington’s Golden Square at the shopping centre’s Santa’s grotto to show their support for Silly Socks Day on December 5.
The event raises money for the Warrington and Halton Hospitals’ Charity which will help to buy Christmas presents for the children’s and neonatal wards as well as supporting patients with dementia.
It has particular poignancy for centre director Ian Cox, whose own
baby girl Amelie has just come home from the neo-natal ward after being born six weeks prematurely weighing just over four pounds.
Now home and growing stronger by the day, Ian couldn’t fault the care given to both his little girl Amelie and partner Kim Moate.
He said: “Our experience was second to none and I cannot speak highly enough of the care which we received on that ward. They were terrific.
“So when we were approached by Warrington Hospital, we were only too happy to step up to the plate and support Silly Socks Day.
“It is wonderful to see children like Joseph and Lucas thriving after such brilliant care at our local neonatal unit and we are all looking forward to pulling on our socks again on December 5.
“Golden Square is at the heart of the Warrington community so we are always keen to do what we can to support the charities in our town which do so much to look after local families, including my own this time round.”
The twins’ mum, Michelle Moloney said without the neonatal unit, her boys would not have survived.
Michelle explained: “With me expecting identical twins, my pregnancy was being closely monitored by consultants at the hospital, and at 29 weeks, they discovered that one of the babies had absent end diastolic flow (fetal distress due to erratic blood flow through the umbilical chord).
“We were also told that both babies had intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) where the babies’ growth slows or ceases when it is in the uterus – so it was safer to deliver them early to allow them to grow in an incubator on the neonatal ward.
“We knew the babies would always be delivered early no matter what, and the doctors had hoped I would get to 34 weeks, but after having scans every other day to monitor the boys, it was decided that they needed to be delivered at 31 weeks.”
She added: “Joseph was born weighing 2lb 9oz and Lucas weighed 2lb 3oz. They were both very poorly and needed help breathing with a ventilator and both were fed directly by a tube into their stomachs.
“It was a really frightening time and we seemed to be taking two steps forward and two steps back so it was touch and go.”
Michelle and partner Frank, who also have four older children between them, spent many agonising weeks beside their sons’ incubators praying for the day they could bring their babies home.
“The staff at the hospital were absolutely fantastic, we were shown such wonderful care,” said Michelle,
“There is no doubt in my mind that without their conscientiousness, expertise and intervention, we wouldn’t have brought home two healthy boys.
“To look at them now, you would never even know they were born premature. They are coming along in leaps and bounds and are both so happy.
“They have such a lovely, close bond and chat to each other in their own little language.”
Michelle admitted she doesn’t do things by halves as she revealed she and Frank are getting married on Saturday and having the twins christened on Sunday.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” said Michelle.
“Then after that, we’ve got Christmas, closely followed by the twins’ second birthday on December 28 – but despite all that, I would always make time to support the hospital in any way that I can and the Silly Socks Day is a great way to raise much-needed funds to support babies like mine.”
On December 5, workers at Golden Square will be rooting out their
brightest, most festive or funky footwear donating £1 per sock towards the cause, which comes as part of the hospitals’ wider Christmas Wishes appeal looking after patients who are spending the festive period in hospital.
To take part in Silly Socks Day, email [email protected] or call 01925 664222.
To make a donation, visit www.Justgiving.com/sillysocksday2014.
You can also text your silly socks donation by texting ‘HOSP05’ followed by £2 to 70070.
Pictured: Outside the Golden Square Santa’s Grotto are Michelle Moloney and Frank Dorey with their miracle twins Joseph and Lucas Dorey.