Rachael Walker’s recent fundraising and article in the Wakefield Express Newspaper in the U.K
Fundraisers L-R Rachael Walker,Otto Walker,Tove Walker, Helen Richford and Becky Wain.
AN expectant mum will give up all gifts for her new baby to help raise awareness of a birth condition which has put its life at risk.
Rachael Walker, from Wakefield, currently endures 16 hours a week of drug infusion treatment to help save the life of her baby which is due to be born in about five weeks. The baby will be born with neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia (NAIT), a little known condition which could cause bleeding in its brain when it is delivered.
Mrs Walker’s four-year-old son Otto was also born with the condition and is still having therapy. Mrs Walker, who didn’t know about the condition at the time, said: “Otto was born covered in bruises which was very distressing. “He still has a bit of trouble expressing himself but that will hopefully develop as he gets a bit older. “We don’t really know what the consequences will be at the moment.”
NAIT is caused when platelet types between the mother and fetus do not match, leading the mother to develop antibodies which cross the placenta and destroy the baby’s platelets. It is said to affect around one in 1,000 births but is often mild and goes undiagnosed.
Mrs Walker, who lives with her husband Jamie and also has a twoyear-old daughter called Tove, is now promoting a non-profit organisation called Naitbabies which is looking to become a registered charity. She is planning to have a babyshower tomorrow for her newborn, but has asked friends and family to donate to Naitbabies instead of giving her baby gifts. Mrs Walker, 36, said: “They desperately need to raise £5,000 and it is important that people know about this condition. “I’m completely taken by this treatment so there’s not much else I can do at the moment but this.”
Mrs Walker also thanked Asda Wakefield for donating wine and snacks for her babyshower.
For more information about Naitbabies, visit www.naitbabies.org
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