Lauren
Page is the reason the charity was formed, the reason
it has kept going and the reason why thousands of mothers
and their babies will continue to benefit in the future.
Lauren
was born on October 18th 1998 and died 19 weeks later
on March 2nd, 1999. Her short life and her struggle
to survive against the odds inspired her parents Nick
and Claire to set up the Lauren Page Trust with the
help of friends and family.
Their
first son, Ben, was born nine weeks early after what
had been a difficult pregnancy. He is now a healthy,
high achieving and typically boisterous nine year old.
He is also well above average height despite being only
3lbs at birth and spending seven weeks in the Special
Care Baby Unit at Whipps Cross.
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Yet
compared to what was to come, that experience was a stroll
in the park. Following Ben’s birth Claire become
seriously ill with what was later diagnosed as Sarcoidosis
along with various renal problems.
Despite
medical advice, Claire fell pregnant again when Ben was
17 months old and was referred to Dr Catherine Nelson-Piercy,
then the obstetric physician at Whipps Cross Hospital,
East London.
Having
a baby would always present a risk and by 18 weeks into
the pregnancy Claire had been admitted to Whipps four
times with threatened miscarriages, severe haemorrhaging
and constant infections until she was kept in until the
birth.
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