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.



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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.

Knew it was to go to be true.

Sunday morning came and Kaycee had a very unsettled night.   Michael picked her out of the cot that morning and she was sick.   He lay her next to him and said to me “She’s not right”.  I remember going mad at him saying that he can’t be scared because we are going home.   He was adamant that he wasn’t scared, and that Kaycee was unwell.   In a tant I took Kaycee upstairs and told the nurses Michael was being a mard and that he was getting panicky about taking her home.   The nurses checked Kaycee over and reassured Michael that Kaycee was ok and to try and put February out of minds.  
Reassured we left Kaycee with the nurses as we had to pack up downstairs and do a quick run home with our stuff and get things more straight back there.
Back home we unpacked and did the last bits to Kaycee’s room.   We waited in for the Oxygen guy to come and show us how to use it etc.   We decided after that, we would go Tesco and get a bit of a shop in at home because after all we hadn’t been home for 8 months so we had nothing in and we planned on doing nothing when we got home so we needed food.
We piled the trolley up and then Michael told me just to check on Kaycee.   This was something we rarely did whilst she was at Hope because the staff were pretty good and we had regained our trust in them.  
I rung Room 3 up as she was in the “nursery” ready for home literally the next day.   When I rung I was put on hold which I found odd, because generally in room 3 the room was only nursed with one nurse due to all the babies being ready for home so the nurse could look after 3.   I just thought that she was busy.   The next conversation was horrible. 
I remember standing there and asking the nurse are you sure, its Kaycee’s mum your talking to.   Nope the nurse had the right mum.    She repeated again what she said “I was feeding Kaycee her tube feed and she went blue …”  Nothing else sunk in what she said.   I just remember putting the phone down telling Michael we had to go and dumping the trolley.   We were in Oldham. Kaycee was in Salford.   Yet again I found myself back to where I was in February driving like a complete moron with Februarys antics running wild in my head.   I just blamed myself all the way back for leaving her. 
This time I didn’t feel scared I knew she was in the right place, due to how well she had come on.   On arriving back we got by Kaycee’s bed and her consultant from Oldham was looking after her.   She told us that Kaycee went blue, and because she was due for going home her monitor was taken off her and when they put it on her saturations were very low and took a while to come up.   She asked us if she had been unwell over the past few days and my first answer was no.  Then I remembered what Michael had said in the morning.  I physically felt sick.   I couldn’t look him in the face at all.   He knew that our girl wasn’t well and I was so set on going home I just ignored his plea.   What have I done!!  
To be fair to Kaycee’s consultant she tried everything, she looked after her all day when she had other patients.   She ensured that she was settled, saturating right and everything and she never left the hospital until she was.   She had spoken to us and told us the options.  One being the vent if she gets to the point where she looks like she will need it.   This obviously to us was not an option we wanted to go down. 
Monday morning came, the day we was suppose to be rejoicing her finaly day in sCBU.   Instead we sat besides her bed watching her get more poorly on cpap.   She was moved to a bigger space and put onto the bipap which helps her breathe more.  
The next few days were horrible and we personally think with better care the next part of her life could have been avoided despite what people state.   I aint going to go into detail because this upsets me more than her massive episode.   The conversations we had and how it happened will haunt me forever.  


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