Dad forced to crowdfund his train fare so he can visit baby daughter in hospital

15 January 2023 , 12:43

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Wayne Wilkinson with his daughter Esmae (Image: Amanda Farr / SWNS)

A desperate dad has been forced to seek crowdfunding so he can afford to travel the 41 miles to see his baby daughter who is waiting for a life-saving operation in hospital.

Wayne Wilkinson has not been able to afford the £30 train fare to travel from his home in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, to Leicester where four-month-old Esmae is being treated.

The groundsman has had to stay at home during the week with his stepdaughter, aged eight, while partner Amanda Farr stays in Leicester to be by Esmae's side.

Their daughter is recovering from a respiratory infection which has delayed the first of two open-heart surgeries to repair two holes in her heart.

Esmae was born with two holes in her heart (Amanda Farr / SWNS)

But with the cost of living crisis the couple are struggling to afford to pay for 30-year-old Wayne's trip to see his daughter.

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Now the family have taken to the internet to crowdfund cash via a GoFundMe page for travel to the hospital.

Esmae's mother and Wayne's partner, Amanda 44. said: "It's been incredibly hard on Wayne. When he and Esmae are together, I've never seen anything like it.

"She settles so well on him, she is a little him all over. His eyes, personality, his temper. She's daddy's girl. He's really struggled not being able to see her."

Mum Amanda with her daughter Esmae (Amanda Farr / SWNS)

Proud dad Wayne with Esmae (Amanda Farr / SWNS)

Two weeks ago on Jan 2 the couple got the devastating news that their daughter's chest infection was being made worse by two previously unidentified holes in her heart.

Esmae was then rushed with Amanda by ambulance to Leicester's Royal Infirmary and put into the children's intensive care unit.

Amanda had only brought emergency items with her and left her car at home.

Amanda has been staying in hospital accommodation ever since and she fears she may have to leave soon when another family needs the flat.

The couple have launched a fundraiser to allow Wayne to visit his daughter (Amanda Farr / SWNS)

Esmae and Amanda were taken by ambulance to Leicester's Royal Infirmary and put in the children's intensive care unit (Amanda Farr / SWNS)

Amanda, who is on maternity leave from Parcelforce, said: "We've had to put bills to one side so I can be here. Wayne's had to take time off work to look after my eldest daughter at home.

"We have a budget for food at home but whilst I'm here I need to buy extra food for myself.

"I have to pay for taxis and to go to and from the hospital and pay for a laundrette as there's no washing machine here and I brought so few clothes.

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"We haven't been able to afford to pay the train fair for Wayne to see Esmae at all. I didn't realise how difficult it would be especially with the cost of everything these days.

Newborn Esmae out of the hospital and ready for Christmas last month (Amanda Farr / SWNS)

(Amanda Farr / SWNS)

"We would never ask for help under normal circumstances."

The couple knew something was wrong when Esmae stopped being able to feed. She struggled to breathe and cried continuously as the couple called an ambulance on Jan 2.

Amanda said: "Esmae started feeling poorly a few days earlier.

"The doctor suspected bronchiolitis. When we brought her in she couldn't breathe, she was just screaming and crying.

"They confirmed the bronchiolitis and then turned to me and said, 'did you realise your daughter has a hole in her heart?' I just burst into tears."

After two weeks in hospital Esmae is still using a ventilator to breathe due to the strain on her heart and fighting not just one infection but two.

Esmae not only contracted bronchiolitis but also the so-called 'kissing disease', or Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) which can't be treated with antibiotics.

This means Esmae is not stable enough to undergo the first of her two open-heart surgeries, which they hope to perform the first a week today.

After Esmae gets her first surgery, she will need to spend up to four more weeks in hospital recovering.

After Esmae has her first surgery, she will spend up to four more weeks in hospital recovering (Amanda Farr / SWNS)

Esmae is not stable enough to have the first of two open-heart surgeries (Amanda Farr / SWNS)

Amanda said: "The fundraiser will help pay for Wayne's train to come and see Esmae and stay overnight so we can be together as a family.

"It breaks his heart that he can't be here. Thanks to the money raised so far Wayne is coming up for the first time this Saturday (Jan 14).

"I know it will be really tricky for him to see her in hospital."

They have already raised £600 of their £1,000 target to help the family cover expenses whilst they're apart and get Wayne more train tickets to see his daughter.

Wayne said: "The fundraiser means a lot to me. It shows how much people do care and want to help and support others in a time of need when something serious like this happens."

Debbie Luxon