Bradley's Journey Home
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I have you in my arms for a short while, while N
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About the Book
This is the journal of Bradley Pike’s fight for survival after a battle against the odds. Bradley was born 13 weeks premature, weighing only 2lb.
Bradley spent a total of 15 weeks in hospital being cared for by different nurses and doctors, while his mother looked on helplessly, not feeling like a mother at all. Bradley suffered from a grade 3 bleed on the brain, hydrocephalus and chronic lung disease. These are just the main things that are listed on paper today. He also developed chest infections, meningitis, a broken septum (through continual use of the CPAP), and septicemia during his time in hospital.
This is the day by day account of Bradley Pike’s journey through hospital. It describes what he went through in order to stay alive and become the cheerful, happy-go-lucky boy that he is today. The journal is told by his mother. It was the only way in which she could deal with the most emotional and unforgettable time of her life.
It is a terrifying and almost unreal experience to watch your baby grow and develop in this tiny incubator when you should not really be seeing this kind of growth take place, as it usually occurs in the womb. As a mother, you feel helpless and like a part of you has been taken away early. Your baby’s life is totally in the hands of the doctors and nurses surrounding you. You can do no more but look on at your baby, hold them if you can, talk to them and pray.
Three years on, Bradley has been diagnosed with mild Cerebral Palsy so has a few more battles to contend with in his life. However, he still remains the most cheerful, cheeky and loveable boy that anyone could ever meet.
About the Author
Donna Pike, Bradley’s mother suffers from polycystic ovarian syndrome and endometriosis and was told that she would never be able to have children. A year later, she fell pregnant with Bradley only to suffer with pre-eclampsia starting at 16 weeks into the pregnancy. She managed to battle with the doctors and the pre-eclampsia to keep Bradley inside for another 11 weeks until they could both finally take no more; with the risk being too high for both of their lives, and Bradley had to be delivered by emergency c-section at 27 weeks gestation.
During her pregnancy, and Bradley's time in hospital, Donna found inner strength that she never knew she had; the only thing that truly kept her going was her total love for her baby Bradley.
Three years on, Donna wants to share her story in order to help other parents in a similar situation, not knowing what way to turn. When Bradley was in hospital, reading was limited to books by Doctors with no feelings. This is expected to help parents, and give them hope for the future of their baby.