When twins Greer and Lochlan (pictured above) arrived at just 26 weeks in 2020, Daniel and Kristina faced a long and uncertain journey. Their tiny twins had many complications and spent an extended amount of time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at King’s College Hospital.
“It was a long, rough stay, but our boys received the best care and treatment,” says Daniel. “We definitely cannot put a monetary value on what King’s did for our family: saving our boys’ lives and caring for them so that they now live a happy and healthy life, but we are blessed to be able to donate annually so that King’s can continue to research and bring life-saving treatments to others.”
Giving back after a personal journey
Daniel and Kristina give every year towards the NICU research fund after their twin boys were born prematurely and spent so much time in hospital during their early days. Their donations support pioneering research that helps prevent infant deaths from breathing complications and develops gentler ways to assist babies in breathing through a tube.
Supporting life-saving research
The research fund is run by the same dedicated doctors who provided day-to-day care for Greer and Lochlan. While significant progress has been made in enhancing immediate survival rates, one of the key objectives of Christopher Harris and Anne Greenough's work is to improve early-stage treatments that lead to better long-term outcomes after NICU care.
“This connection is incredibly important to us because navigating those early months is just the beginning of a long journey that carries on throughout adulthood. With a deeper understanding of long-term effects, particularly in lung function, the team can drive more holistic treatment approaches.”
Both Lochlan and Greer live with chronic lung disease due to their prematurity, requiring medication, specialist care, and oxygen support on occasion. “We’ve chosen to support King’s College NICU, focusing on pulmonary research, because we deeply value the care they provide.”
The joy of making an impact
“Knowing that our contributions will go to research that will support the short and long term outcomes for families who may be dealing with similar situations is inspiring and something we are grateful to be a part of.”
Thanks to donors like Daniel and Kristina, King’s College Hospital Charity can continue funding pioneering research, improving survival rates, and shaping treatments that give premature babies the best possible start in life. Their generosity is a reminder of the power of hope, gratitude, and community.
