The pregnancy they dreamed of - and a devastating diagnosis
Finally, it arrived.
“That was the best day of our lives,” said Emily.
Exhausted after months of worry and countless hours spent by Amelia’s side in the neonatal unit, the couple was more than ready to bring their baby home.
“I’ll never forget the day they said, ‘she's been taking bottle feeds for the last 48 hours, she’s ready’,” Emily said.
“We put her in her car seat for the first time and went straight to my grandma's house, where we saw my mum and my stepdad and my grandparents and basically had a little ‘welcome home’ get-together.
Pictured: Andy and Amelia ready to go home at Hervey Bay Hospital
“We were so nervous - it was our first 24 hours of trying to keep her alive all by ourselves. But we did a good job, I think!”
The generosity that made it all possible
That tiny baby, now a thriving six-month-old, is the centre of Emily and Andy’s universe.
“Everything we do now is thought about in terms of, will it benefit her? Is she going to be okay? We have so much love for her.”
And every precious day with Amelia, they said, is a reminder of the incredible teams at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) and the generous donors who help fund pioneering care.
“We could not have made it through all that we did without that hospital. What we went through during my pregnancy, then with Jackson, and with Amelia in the NICU – I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.”
With the work of hospital teams backed by RBWH Foundation funded research and patient care initiatives, Emily said that the impact of philanthropy is clear to see - it gives families, like theirs, the best possible chance of a happy ending.
“If you don’t get care at that level, what comes next is truly heartbreaking,” Emily said. “The loss we’ve experienced, I wouldn’t wish on anyone. But Amelia made it through and so did we, and it’s thanks to incredible hospital teams and incredible donors.”
Investing in what matters most
After a rollercoaster year of love and loss, this young couple’s priorities are very clear.
“We just want Amelia to be happy; to know that she is loved, and to live a long, healthy life. And for donors to know the part they’ve played in making that happen.”
And that’s what your generosity means this Giving Day.
Your donations fund world class biomedical and clinical research – advances that improve outcomes for mothers and babies not only at RBWH, but nationally and internationally.
They help fund incredible initiatives, like NeoRESQ and its NeoReturn service, transporting the most vulnerable babies to and from specialist care.
They enable us to invest in programs of work that drive change in maternity care, improve support for parents of sick and premature babies and care for the compassionate clinical teams giving their all on the frontline.
Pictured: Amelia's first Christmas
This Giving Day, we’re asking you to help the hospital that helps us all.
Donate by 10 June 2026 and your gift will be DOUBLED by our Giving Day partners – that’s double the donation and double the impact.
Help us build a better future for babies like Amelia and send more families home, together, to the lives they love.
