We will always treasure these memories of his first summer holiday

Alex and Gary’s son, Dylan, was born at 31 weeks weighing less than 3lbs. He was monitored for the first four weeks at their local hospital but things took a turn for the worse on the day he was meant to go home – he stopped breathing. Dylan required emergency specialist treatment over an hour away at The Royal London Hospital where he underwent surgery for a stoma bag. We supported his parents at Stevenson House so they could be close to Dylan. Mum recently got in touch with us to tell us all about their first summer holiday. She says:

“We took Dylan on our first family holiday in July 2015.

“The previous month he had his stoma bag reversed and we were in the early stages of weaning him, so we had to make sure we had plenty of pre-prepared purees made up before we left for the seaside.

“We went to a place that has always had a special place in my heart Hemsby, near Great Yarmouth. It wasn’t glamorous, but I had been there every year since I was a baby myself, it almost felt like it could become a new tradition for us with Dylan as he got older.

“We were really excited to take Dylan there, we couldn’t wait to see his reaction to the feel of the sand and the sea on his feet, and experience all the new sights and sounds.

“Dylan wasn’t yet standing or walking by himself, so when we took him to the beach we had to hold him upright on the sand to make sure he didn’t fall over. He was absolutely fascinated by the feel of it and was just constantly staring down at his feet! When I took him down to the edge of the sea, he got a bit of a shock when a tiny wave hit his feet as it was very cold. But after a short while he got used to it and was shouting and laughing.

“He was also fascinated by the arcades – he was completely unfazed by all the lights and the music - he just looked around in amazement wherever we went. Though, when it came to having his first go on one of the rides – he was not impressed at all!

“After everything Dylan had been through, it felt so amazing to be able to do something ‘normal’ as a family. At the beginning, it felt like it would be a long time before we could do such a thing…Even though you know you will be able to do it eventually, it still feels like it’s an eternity away. But we managed to, and will always treasure these memories of his first summer holiday”