As most of you know Kaycee Brooks is 18 months old (corrected age 14 months, meaning if she was born on her due date this would be her age now) She is a surviving twin and was born at 25 weeks and 2 days. Her sister, Corrie (said like the boy’s name Corey, not after my favourite soap … ha) sadly passed away in the womb at 25 weeks.



Kaycee has spent most of her life in hospital. In total she has spent a mere 9 weeks at home on and off, the longest stretch being 10 days without a Hospital admission. She has given the hardest strongest fight of survival and still to this day (01.03.2012) Kaycee is still fighting and literally living life on the edge.



I thought it would be nice to let people know her full background and share her life experience properly, just for future reference for Kaycee to read back on when she’s a big girl and also to help or guide, anyone who will either experience any part of this situation.



The reason for me publishing a blog, with a donation button on is not out of pure cheek, not us being a charity case but simply to raise a bit of money for Kaycee, her future, her care (if we need to seek quicker care privately) travelling and living expenses whilst we hold vigil besides Kaycee. I do not want anyone to think we are begging, I just feel with all the support we have people will understand, and not take pity but want to support us. We are hospitalised and we aren’t living in “real life” and people are always always asking what can we do to help. So I spoke to a support worker and she suggested this and to be honest it has took me a good number of months to actually do this, to sit down and re-live Kaycee’s life and to relive my experience with my other daughter Corrie.



It does bring back a lot of painful but happy memories but also angers me at the same time because I do see it from other peoples points of view, when I sit down and think of our situation and see that we have and are in such a bad position in life. But we have been dealt with these cards in life and we have to deal with that.



I am only as strong as I am because I have the most amazing daughter anyone could ever dream of having and I think this applies to most premmie parents or long term sick children. You truly are blessed to have a special child. I totally believe that we are blessed and I do not wish to change anything in my life. I just wish better health for Kaycee and may be one day be that in 1 month’s time or 10 years we will live a normal happy life as a family at home. But in the meantime I will make sure every 24 hours of my daughter’s life has a special memory. Not only does she inspire her army of fans but she is a true inspiration to us as parents. And the most warmest thought is I have two of these girls, and although Corrie isn’t here, I know she is exactly the same as Kaycee and wherever she is she is being a cheeky girl and making everyone love her just as much as Kaycee is doing down here with us.



I am truly truly blessed to be her mummy.



About Me

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There are no classes in life for beginners: right away you are always asked to deal with what is most difficult.

Quick Admissions

We were home for a week and everything was going ok.   Then one morning of 16th September 2011, I noticed Kaycee didn’t look the best.  I said to Michael that we could go on a quick road trip down to Manchester and present ourselves at A&E there.   We both didn’t trust Oldham not after all that’s happened there.   So we decided because she was stable enough we would put her in the car and drive to A&E.  Don’t get me wrong if Kaycee needed 999 I would never put her life at risk and would let the ambulance take her to Oldham if she needed it.   We have always agreed that.   Just at times when we can catch her before she crashes we rather admit her into Manchester as all the teams are under one roof and after all they do know her.  
Upon arriving at A&E because Kaycee was only an inpatient with a PICU stay the week before they admitted her to the ward straight away.  She was x-rayed and bloods taken upon admission.    She was diagnosed with aspirated pneumonia.  They thought because she had started taking interest to her food again that it might have gone down the wrong hole, and because her lungs are poorly some had gone onto them.   Kaycee in herself was well, so they gave her an antibiotic for aspirating, and a two night stay we were off home again. 
Although she had done this and was being treated she wasn’t 100% at home, and we were getting a bit twitchy and questioning whether she should have come home.   She didn’t seem to unwell to warrant another drive to Manchester so we just left it and pushed it to the back of our mind.   She started to get a bit snotty, but nothing that an oxygen dependant baby wouldn’t normally be like.    Again she went off her food and because she was teething it was easy to blame that and to be honest if you had just met Kaycee you would say she had all the signs of a typical teething baby.   So we just gave her antibiotics and the usual teething things.   A week passed and she wasn’t improving.  
31st September, I decided to take her back to Manchester.   Michael was working so his mum came down with me so I wasn’t on my own in the car.   Again Kaycee got admitted to a ward.   She only needed a bit of suction as the snot in her nose had got hard with the oxygen (I know that sounds disgusting –sorry)  So in the morning she was discharged.    A lovely quick admission.
That day she was perfect, back to her happy self.   It was the morning of Corrie’s first anniversary. We have split the girls days, So Kaycee obviously has her birth date (2nd September) as her day and Corrie has the day we lay her to rest (1st October) purely just so its not taking Kaycee’s birthday away and it’s a way of making sure Corrie isn’t forgotten too.  
On leaving the hospital we decided that we can’t always wrap Kaycee up in cotton wool, so we decided to go out for pub lunch.   We went out and Kaycee’s first proper outing.  It was fantastic and felt like we were a normal family.  

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