Parents campaign to back baby unit that helped them

After the traumatic still birth of his first baby girl, with his former girlfriend, Dan Barnett, of Griffin Crescent, was understandably nervous when his new partner, Coral Perrin, broke the news that she was pregnant.

For a while, everything seemed to be going smoothly, until Coral, 20, went for a routine ultrasound scan, which revealed that the couple’s child had spina bifida.

Dan, 25, said: “It was a nightmare. I think we were both devastated to hear the news.

“The doctors always told us the worst case scenerio. It was a really difficult time.”

Two days after the pair’s little girl, Faith Nevaeh Barnett was born, in October, last year, doctors from the neonatal unit at the Princess Anne Hospital, in Southampton, were forced to rush away the new-born, to begin an emergency, nine-hour long operation to help correct part of her deformed spinal column.

Tiny Faith spent a total of 12 days at the hospital.

“It was agonising,” said caring dad, Dan. “They took her away for nine hours.

“She had to have her body wrapped in cling film after the operation. But she was such a little fighter, she really was.”

Now, more than three months on from his baby girl’s operation, Dan wants to begin a fund-raising campaign to raise much-needed cash for the neonatal unit that gave his family so much support.

Dan has already set up an online, Just Giving page, which, so far, has had supporters pledge more than £40.

“The staff there were some of the most lovely people I have ever met,” he said. “I would run to the ends of the earth to help them raise money for the hospital.

“We owe them all so much for what they did to help our daughter. She means the world to us.”

Dan hopes to first run from Littlehampton to Brighton, later this year, to begin his fund-raising bid.

He already attempted to apply to run the London marathon, but was unable to run for the Southampton-based hospital.

Speaking about his daughter, Dan said: “She is quite a character.

“She is a wonderful baby. She has the most stunning smile.

“My current partner and my ex, Jess Odjugbe, gave Faith her middle name – Nevaeh, which is ‘heaven’ backwards – in dedication to my first daughter who was a still-born baby.”

Dan added: “We know it’s going to be a long road to help her, but she’s a fighter and, already, you can see she has such determination.”

To donate to Dan’s cause, click here.