Our Larapinta trekkers in front of the resuscitation cot at Alice Springs hospital, provided through their fundraising. 💜💜💜
And the cot in use minutes later. While we were still there a baby was born struggling to breathe, but thanks to the brilliant team at Alice Springs Hospital, and this brand new resuscitation cot, this beautiful bubba is now stable and cosy in a Running for Premature Babies humidicrib 🐣
Seeing these machines in action was a powerful reminder of the impact of our community’s fundraising — helping provide life-saving equipment for sick and premature babies when every second counts.
Tomorrow Sophie is leading a group of nine intrepid women on a 4 day hike along the beautiful Larapinta trail in Central Australia.
These women have together raised $50,000 for Running for Premature Babies and today they visited Alice Springs Hospital Neonatal Unit to see for themselves the impact they have made.
Sophie says, “We were honoured to be greeted by Professor Alan Sandford AM, the Executive Director of Medical Services and Senior Medical Advisor to the NT Chief Medical Officer at NT Health @nt_health_ as well as Karen Miegel, Nurse Unit Manager, and the staff at Alice Springs Neonatal Unit. They showed us the Resuscitation Cot that has been donated with the funds raised by our trekkers, as well as the suite of equipment donated over the past 5 years by Running for Premature Babies including three giraffe humidicribs, biliblanket phototherapy wraps and a glucose monitor. They told us how this equipment is making a massive difference to the way they can care for sick and premature babies in Alice Springs. It means they can now keep babies in Alice who previously would need to be transferred to Adelaide, and for those that do need to be transferred they can keep the babies safe until a transfer can be arranged.”
On behalf of these babies and their families, thank you to our Larapinta team! 💜💜💜
Antony is one of our Charity Place Runners in the @goldcoastmarathon , his raised over $4,200 to give premature babies a better chance of survival. Here he shares why:
"I signed up for the marathon not only to challenge myself physically and mentally, but also to support a cause that I truly believe in.
Running for Premature Babies is something close to my heart, especially as a father of two young daughters, with another baby arriving in October this year. It makes you appreciate how vulnerable and precious newborn babies are, particularly those born prematurely who require urgent medical care and specialised equipment to survive.
I believe this charity does incredible work by helping provide hospitals with lifesaving equipment and support for families going through extremely difficult circumstances. Every donation genuinely helps give these little babies a stronger chance at life.
I’m grateful to be able to support such a meaningful cause and appreciate everyone who contributes.”
Thank you so much Antony!
Making history, driving change 💜
Our Headline Charity, Running for Premature Babies is aiming to make history this August. With an ambitious goal of raising $1 million - a milestone that would mark the largest amount ever raised by a charity at a marathon festival in Australian history.
Leading the charge is top fundraiser Blake McGee, who will take on the marathon alongside his mum Leisa as she runs her very first 42.2km race. Together, they’re running in memory of Blake’s sister, Georgia, who tragically lived for just one day after being born prematurely 31 years ago.
Blake has set himself a powerful and symbolic target: raising $1 for every metre of the marathon. A total of $42,200 by race day.
His fundraising journey began with an extraordinary challenge at the start of the year, running 1km on January 1st, then increasing his distance by 1km each day throughout the month. By the end of January, he had completed an incredible 500km. Sharing his progress daily on social media, Blake inspired a wave of support and raised $14,000 in donations.
And he’s just getting started.
With cake stalls, sausage sizzles, fitness and business collaborations and more creative challenges planned in the lead-up to race day, Blake continues to rally his community behind the cause. Every step he takes brings him closer not only to his fundraising goal, but to making a meaningful difference for babies facing the challenges of premature birth.
With Georgia as their inspiration, Blake and his mum will cross the finish line together, knowing their efforts are helping give premature babies a better chance of survival.
Comment “RFPB” to be part of our Headline Charity’s special team 💜
“All he knew was love.”
Sophie Smith opens up about the final hour she spent with her son, Henry — a life where he never spent a moment alone, never knew a world outside of his parents' love, and only ever felt the safety of his mother’s arms.
If you want to hear more, comment SOPHIE and we'll dm you the direct link to the episode.
The latest episode of No Filter — “Sophie Smith Lost Her Premature Triplets And Then Her Husband. This Is How She Kept Going” — is out now wherever you get your podcasts.
If this video has brought up anything for you, help is available from Lifeline on 13 11 14
#sophiesmith #sophieboys #runningforprems #grief #childloss
"I don’t think the universe is pointing at me saying there’s a reason for this."
Sophie Smith has been through more than most, yet she still refuses to ask "Why me?" After losing her triplets and then her husband, she’s heard every "reason" people use to try and make sense of tragedy. Sophie explains why she rejects the idea that grief is a punishment and why looking for a cosmic "why" is a dead end.
Comment ‘SOPHIE’ and we’ll DM you the link to the full episode.
The latest episode of No Filter — “Sophie Smith Lost Her Premature Triplets And Then Her Husband. This Is How She Kept Going” — is out now wherever you get your podcasts.
#sophiesmith #sophieboys #runningforprems #grief #childloss
"I was never going to know the exhaustion of looking after three babies."
For Sophie Smith, surviving the months following the loss of her triplets meant finding a way to live with a silence that shouldn't have been there.
In this latest episode of No Filter, Sophie opens up about the "pretending" that allowed her to catch her breath, the exhaustion she never got to feel, and the moment she realised that while she couldn't change the past, she still had the power to decide what to do next.
Comment ‘SOPHIE’ and we’ll DM you the link to the full episode.
The latest episode of No Filter — “Sophie Smith Lost Her Premature Triplets And Then Her Husband. This Is How She Kept Going” — is out now wherever you get your podcasts.
#sophiesmith #sophiesboys #runningforprems #resilience #motherhood
"We are still mums when our babies die."
After losing all three of her prematurely-born triplets — Henry, Jasper, and Evan — within just two months of their birth, Sophie Smith refused to let their story end there.
As the Founder of the Running for Premature Babies Foundation and co-author of Sophie’s Boys, written with Deborah Fitzgerald, she has turned her personal heartbreak into a lifelong mission of hope. Sophie has dedicated her life to ensuring other "premmie" babies have a fighting chance by raising millions of dollars for life-saving neonatal equipment in hospitals across Australia.
This Mother’s Day, we are following Sophie’s lead and honouring the mums whose children live on through their memory and their advocacy. We see you, we celebrate you, and we recognise the incredible strength it takes to carry a love that the world can’t always see.
The latest episode of No Filter — “Sophie Smith Lost Her Premature Triplets And Then Her Husband. This Is How She Kept Going” — is out tomorrow, wherever you get your podcasts. Link in bio.
#mothersday #sophiesmith #sophiesboys #runningforprematurebabies griefsupport
Happy Mothers Day to all mums today. We send special love to the mums spending today beside a NICU cot, holding onto hope, and to the mums who carry the memory of their babies in their hearts.
Pictured here is Sophie with her living sons Owen and Harvey at the graveside of their brothers Henry, Jasper, Evan, celebrating being a mum of five.
An exciting afternoon for Sophie being invited to share her story with Kate Langbroek on the @mamamiaaus No Filter podcast. @nofiltermamamia
Look out the episode dropping on Monday.
Thanks @sydney_marathon for setting up this fabulous opportunity.
