Team Lewis

06/05/2018

We will be winding up in the next couple of weeks. Only a couple more things to do. So before we do I just want to introduce Lewis' baby brother. Mason, born 12/4/18 weighing 9lbs 15oz. I really didn't know if we would ever have another one after what happened to Lewis. It has taken so much strength and courage to try and see past the fear to a positive future for us with a new baby. Some days I was in a bubble of fear and others I was in complete denial I was even pregnant again. To anyone who has suffered baby/ child loss. There is no set time limit on when to do it again, we are almost 4 years down the line. It will be tough but by God its worth it. We feel so blessed to have baby Mason with us and as a family we can truly smile again.

07/01/2018

******* WARNING LENGTHY POST********
Hi, all it has been a good while since I have posted on here. We have still been working on Team Lewis this year and did some small but significant things for siblings. Unfortunately we have decided its best for us at the moment to close Team Lewis down. We have appreciated all the hard work and support we have received from all you fabulous people in the UK and abroad, without you all nothing would have happened and together we have made an impact on the Neo Natal Units across Glasgow and beyond. Apart from the obvious goal of improving the hospital environment for siblings my other major driving force for Team Lewis was for people to know he was here, he was a life and that his life and time on this earth will have impacted positively on others, and once again I feel we as a team have achieved that. There are far too many people to thank you all individually but you all know who you are whether your support was a donation, helping to organise an event, a message of encouragement, taking our message into your NICU unit, for some your blood , sweat and tears it was all appreciated from the bottom of our hearts and words will never be enough to show how much you all mean to us. For those of you who have spoke his name, or tell his story I will forever hold you close in my heart.

For now, for us, the Mckain family we are embarking on new adventures. Lewis, Tyler and Carys will all be big brothers/ sister again this year with our new arrival due in April. It took much courage and hope to embark on this journey again, but after 3.5 years we almost feel ready. The fear is there and it is real but we cannot let it overshadow this happy time. After what happened to Lewis and realising how precious life is we have decided to embark on a long term family travel. All 5 of us will be leaving in June to go backpacking and cherish every single moment of joy with our new bundle. You can follow us along on Instagram .

Finally... the money! We have money left over from all your hard fundraising, whilst we know we wish to donate a chunk of this to NICU in the Princess Royal Maternity in Glasgow we also wish to know if any other NICU units out there that are trying to improve care of siblings in the units, so if you are part of one or know of one please let us know more about it, here in the comments, PM or email [email protected] or if there is any other sibling projects you know about that support siblings of sick babies, children, or additional support needs children please let us know. Whilst we cannot guarantee a donation to each one we will look at the them all. I will do one more post in the future to inform everyone of where the cash has went.

Sorry for the length of this post and once again I really , really appreciate everything it has been such a great community and it helped me through the loss of my son more than you will ever know.

Much love,

Lewis' Mummy

###xx

19/12/2016

A little bit of recognition for Lewis' memory in this morning's evening times. Joe and I could not do any of what we do without the help of Jacqui and Stuart and everyone of you that all get behind us by donating or spreading the word. We are so thankful. Merry Christmas everyone. ###

Edit: this picture is of twin boys who just met for the first time when the picture was taken, the nursing staff managed to work hard to get them together to see santa for the first time. Lewis and James. We always get a sign 💙💙💙

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/14974486.Santa__39_s_early_visit_to_sick_baby_unit/

A COUPLE whose infant son died have raised thousands to help ease the trauma of hospital visits for siblings of seriously ill babies.

18/12/2016

Another beautiful bundle of joy from yesterday's grotto.

Thank you Cheryl and the rest of Team Lewis for a lovely experience with santa yesterday ( pulling his beard) at the place where Sophia spent the first 15 weeks of her life. It was so lovely to visit the unit with all her other 'Spring Lamb' friends and the efforts you are making in the unit from the painted rooms, to the entertainment and now Santa's grotto help bring such happiness to what can at times be a very frightening clinical space-thank you once again.

17/12/2016

Thank you lynne. It was lovely to meet you all. Glad you had a good day and the kids too.

Myself and kids had s great time at the PRM NICU Santa visit, big massive thankyou to team Lewis for doing all of this for the kids they said it was the best ever ❤️❤️

14/12/2016

Thank you so much to CPA and as always team Biosil.

04/12/2016

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas 🎉🎄🎁 so why not in the NICU too. Our Santas grotto will be there for siblings on sat 17th December in NICU Princess Royal Maternity 1-3. The past 2 years people have brought babies to see santa who have been in the Unit that year. If your little bundle has been there this year and you would like to join us please do :)

19/11/2016

Hi everyone, we are looking for some help. We need someone ASAP to help us with some accounts. We imagine for someone that does this on a regular basis it would be a MAXIMUM of 10 hours time they would need to donate. If you can help or think you know anyone that could please get in touch. [email protected] or pm here. Please share this everyone. Thank you xx

02/11/2016

As I said in a previous post I was not as engaged and active in the charity over the past 4/5 months as I normally am. I don't think people understand the huge output that is required to make a charity a success., ( as I wasn't myself until I started ) I think I was exhausted through doing lots of hours in my own personal job, trying to be a good wife and mum, and then on top of that trying to make a success of Team Lewis. When I was thinking of Team Lewis I was thinking that we were not being as successful as we could be and that the NICU's I was trying to engage with were not really engaging in the ethos surrounding what we are trying to do,. Any unit can have a colourful wall , or a bag of toys for siblings to play with but the nursing and medical staff within that unit really have to believe that siblings are important, they really need to believe that those wee guys matter in the whole big picture of the journey.

In March we went to visit St James Cook University hospital and met with a nurse we had been approached by named Ann- Marie and her colleagues. We spent a full 6 hours with those nurses discussing siblings, sibling care, the impact of the environment, we dropped off some buddy bags and DVD players. In many units I have did the same with, that is the end of the journey. Not for these guys, this past week I received an email from Ann- Marie with pics of what they have did to the unit on the back of our visit. They have also developed a sibling introduction booklet, their consultants have engaged in sibling care and they are going from idea to idea to promote sibling care and improve the environment for families as a whole.

That's when I realised- we don't have to move mountains we don't have to do big massive changes in every unit all of the time, what we have achieved in the past 2 years has been fantastic, and I say we because Team Lewis would be nothing if all of you guys didn't engage, believe and help towards the cause in one way or another, whether that's financial, time, spreading the word it has all collectively made Team Lewis a success. With the right NICU and the right attitudes from nursing and medical staff, one 6 hour session can change the journey for many children. Hats off to St James Cook, and as always to wee Lewis for coming here to spread the message. ###

ps the pics show they have developed their own buddy bags and out colourful peg holders in the waiting area, and there has been a couch added to the breastfeeding room which wasn't there before. They are now working on a quiet family room based on a family living room idea for families to go and relax together.

23/10/2016

I have always been very honest on this page about my grieving process , and that of the children. Over the past 7/8 months I have struggled to find my passion for the charity in fact I have struggled to think much about Lewis, when I hear someone mention his name to me when I'm not prepared for it, it feels like someone has stuck a knife through my stomach and are twisting away. The pain is raw, its is very much real and I can physically feel it. It feels now like I need time to tense to help with the blow when it comes.

How does this happen? how has this happened. I continually ask myself, why do I not want to think of my baby, why do I wish people wouldn't mention his name in my presence? for someone who prided themselves in baby loss not being taboo, for someone who said that his name will never be banished, and now? now I feel the need to protect myself whenever his name is spoken. I feel awful, I feel awful for that 3/4 months I haven't shed a tear for him, what kind of mother does that make me?

It has taken weeks, months of me feeling like this to realise that grief is just a cycle, a cycle of anger, shock, despair, denial and devastation that I will now continually go through for the rest of my life, and like all the other stages I have been through I just have to let this one ride its course too. Which I have, and I know I'm coming out of it into a new one as I have spent most of the week feeling the love and despair I haven't felt for months, shedding tears for my very much loved son. I went almost 2 years wondering when the spontaneous tears would stop, wondering when the longing in every cell of every muscle for my baby boy to be in my arms would relinquish, but now, after months of feeling nothing, I welcome back my spontaneous tears, my moments of longing because that is when I'm most healthy emotionally.

I write this as I know there are many people on this page that have lost children, and I don't know if you have went through these stages, but I don't want anyone to go through them alone.

Its a lonely day when you realise no matter what you do or what you achieve in life. When you have a child that has died you will never self actualise. That would never be possible. That is something we have to come to terms with.

Lewis' mummy
###x

18/10/2016

I know this page has been very quiet recently. We have been doing things though... this is happened last week. All the blinds in the NICU have been changed to be more child friendly. I feel this creates a nicer environment for siblings to come into and for parents to see whilst spending their time on the unit. What do you guys think?

15/10/2016

Hi guys an amazing family are holding this halloween event to raise money for team lewis. If you fancy getting into your scariest attire and going along to help please do xx

Want to join in for some Halloween Team Lewis Fundraising Fun ?? 👻👻👻👻