Dani Patterson running to give premature babies a better chance after son, Jack, born at 24 weeks

A Wonthaggi woman is fighting to give premature babies a better chance at life after her own experience of giving birth at 24 weeks. See how you can help.

Jack Patterson was born premature at just 24 weeks. His mum, Dani Patterson, a Wonthaggi local, is now running to help raise money for essential equipment hospitals need to care for premature babies.

A Wonthaggi woman is fighting for the thousands of babies born premature each year to have a better chance of survival, after her son was born at 24 weeks and placed in a bathtub in the hospital instead of a humidicrib.

Dani Patterson was rushed from Wonthaggi Hospital into a delivery room at the Monash Children’s Hospital when she was just 24 weeks pregnant after she noticed some bleeding one night.

Her son Jack was born in a mad rush via emergency C-section on July 19, 2021.

At 30cm long, he weighed just 777g.

After a week in hospital doctors determined Jack had several brain bleeds, meningitis and seizures. He couldn’t breathe on his own.

The little boy went through multiple surgeries before he was even a month old.

After putting up a fierce fight against the brain bleeds, Jack was diagnosed with a disease called NEC, which caused his intestine to die.

“At just 30 days of life he had surgery to remove 20cm of his intestine,” Ms Patterson said.

Baby Jack fighting for life.

Jack couldn’t breathe on his own, suffered seizures and illness. The hospitals technologically advanced equipment kept him alive.

Ms Patterson said she and her husband felt “isolated” and “alone” in the weeks after Jack was born because the state was in lockdown.

“We weren’t able to have any family visit in hospital. With all the lockdowns it was really hard, getting lots of bad news over and over. We got calls nearly every night that Jack had taken a turn and we needed to come in,” she said.

“To this day when a private number calls it makes me worried.”

Jack was eventually transferred from the neonatal intensive care unit to the Special Care ward.

“Our first attempt in special care lasted a week after Jack developed meningitis and was urgently rushed back to NICU,” Ms Patterson said.

“After recovering from meningitis, Jack was transferred back to Special Care. After being in Special Care for 12 hours Jack had another seizure and was transferred back to NICU.”

Four months after he was born Jack went under the knife again, this time to reverse his stoma.

The Patterson family’s ordeal was made worse by the hospital’s lack of equipment for premature babies.

“At one point Jack was placed in an old cot which was primarily being used as a bath. It was only for short time, but looking back it’s awful to see such a great hospital lacking funding,” Ms Patterson said of Monash Children’s Hospital.

Jack was discharged on November 12, 2021 weighing 2.6kg.

Jack with his parents Dani and Darren Patterson.

Jack Patterson survived but continues to battle complications from being born prematurely.

His recovery was quick after discharge and at the start of January 2022, Jack weighed over 4.5kg and was 55cm.

Jack has since been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

This stems from being born prematurely and he will require ongoing physiotherapy and monitoring for further symptoms.

Sophie Smith OAM, the founder of Running for Premature Babies, said hospitals relied on people like Dani to raise funds so charities like hers could purchase essential equipment for hospitals to help premature babies.

“Neonatal care is so expensive,” she said. “Neonatal staff do an incredible job but when they have the very latest equipment to help them that makes all the difference.

“Hospitals need help to make sure they get the very best and most advanced equipment available.”

Ms Smith was inspired to create her charity after she and her husband Ash lost their prematurely born triplets in 2006.

“Back in 2006 the survival rate for babies born at 24 weeks was 50 per cent, now it is up to 75 per cent,” she said.

“The advances have been huge.”

Being part of the campaign for change, Ms Patterson will participate in Run Melbourne to raise money for hospitals to purchase equipment for premature babies.

“I’m running to give premature babies a better chance of survival,” she said.

“Funds raised will enable the Running for Premature Babies Foundation to purchase urgently needed lifesaving neonatal equipment for neonatal units around Australia.”

Ms Smith said it was “beautiful” to have people like Dani support their charity.

“She knows this equipment was essential in saving Jack’s life,” she said.

“It is really beautiful to see her wanting other families to be as lucky.”

If you’d like to help Dani and premature babies around the country you can donate to her run here.

And you can support the charity here.