Chichester father raises money for 'fantastic' premature birth charity

Chichester based Jack Magee,37, is raising money for Cohen's Box a children's charity that supported him and his partner Kristin,30, during the premature birth of their son Jackson.

Mr Magee, who is a firefighter in Worthing and runs Mad Hatters Gym in Chichester said: "When you're in there [Newborn Intensive Care Unit, NICU], all you need is that other parent or person saying 'I know what you're going through' and that's what we got from Cohen's. It provides support when people need it the most".

Mr Magee is hoping to raise £3,000 for Cohen's Box which provides support for families who are dealing with a premature birth, it provides families with boxes containing care packages for their time in hospital and emotional support to help them cope during the troubling circumstances.

Mr Magee said: "It's just fantastic what they do. To have someone just take that extra time, it was just so nice and it was especially nice for my partner, we don't have family anywhere near us so she really needed another mother helping her along".

Mr Magee and his partner Kristin's son Jackson was born three months premature on March 15, 2020. Kristin was initially rushed to St Richards hospital but was transferred to the NICU in Southampton Hospital where Jackson was born.

Then the pandemic struck and when Jackson was only three weeks old the hospital told Mr Magee and Kristin that only one of them was allowed to visit Jackson to protect him from COVID-10, so Mr Magee was unable to see his son for three months.

Jack Magee said: "It was horrible for me, our main worry was just that Jackson was alright, but also for me I had to check that Jackson's mum [Kristin] was alright, she was having to deal with everything. She would video me when she was there, but realistically it's just a child laying in an incubator, I wanted that feel".

"So many things play on your mind, one day I got so frustrated with it I got on my bike and cycled to the hospital, found the window and got his mum to come to the window holding him."

But the whole traumatic period was made bearable by the amazing work done at Cohen's Box. Cohen's Box's founder sadly lost her son Cohen who was born prematurely in 2019, since then she has done everything she can to support families as they try to cope with a premature birth.

Mr Magee said: "The hole time she [Cohen's Box's founder] was messaging my partner Kristin giving her advice, we couldn't get nappies and premature baby clothes because they were in short supply anyway, and with Cohen's Box she sorted us out with that, all completely off her own back.

"She also helps fund the trolleys and equipment in NICU wards and she will also do random acts of kindness, like put little teddy bears in bags for parents who might not be able to afford them. It really is fantastic what she does."

Mr Magee said that although he is not a runner and is a little anxious as to the marathon, his friends at his gym are helping him train, and he is using the fact that it is such a good cause motivates him. He said: "It's nice to think that you can help other people going through that same thing".

To support go to Running for Cohens Box - https://www.gofundme.com/f/running-for-cohens-box