A COUPLE who came dangerously close to losing their three-month-old baby have given their backing to The Press Guardian Angels Appeal.

Beverley Simpson and her fiancé, Stephen Bennett, said they realised just how desperately York Hospital needed new high-dependency facilities for children after their daughter, Abigail, fell seriously ill on December 30.

The couple, from Holgate, in York, described the feeling of terror as they watched their beautiful little girl turn a purple colour while rushing her to York Hospital.

Beverley, 31, said: "It was a very scary time. She was going a funny purply-blue colour and she began to deteriorate really quickly.

"The doctors said she was septicaemic and we could tell they were really concerned. It was so terrible being completely helpless."

Abigail was taken immediately to the children's high-dependency unit and nurses rushed to get the necessary equipment from other parts of the childrens ward.

Maureen Augey, Guardian Angels project nurse, said: "At the moment, our high-dependency unit is not equipped with everything we need, which means we are constantly running in and out with machinery from other parts of the ward.

"When the room is redone, all the equipment will be there permanently and we will also be able to buy a Cpap machine to help babies breathe. We don't have one of these on the ward at the moment."

Abigail was attached to a vital signs monitor, which was used to check critical information, such as her heart rate and blood pressure.

Two of these £11,500 monitors were donated to the Guardian Angels Appeal last year by the hospital's Heartbeat Appeal. Without them, Abigail would have had to be transferred to Leeds Hospital.

Beverley, whose fiancé Stephen works in the IT department at City of York Council, said: "We were lucky Abigail was able to stay at York because lots of children aren't.

"She had always been a perfectly healthy baby before this and had never been ill before, so it came as such a shock. It made us realise that something like this can happen to anyone and you never know when your child is going to need these facilities.

"It was such a horrible time. Nobody knew what was wrong with her and all the time we were thinking the worst - that she might not come through.

"She had so many different tests and it was all so traumatic for her because I didn't realise how difficult it was to get blood from a baby.

"Fortunately, she started to respond to the antibiotics and after five days she was able to come home.

"The doctors put it down to a virus, but they still don't know what the cause was."

Our Guardian Angels Appeal, which aims to raise £300,000, currently stands at just over £215,000. If you want to make a donation, send cheques or postal orders made out to The Press Guardian Angels Appeal, to Guardian Angels, The Press, 76/86 Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN.

Roll of Honour

THE PRESS would like to thank the following readers for their recent generous donations:

Mr A Palmer
Mourners at Gordon Adamson's funeral
Mrs W A Jackson
J Gore
L L Wrigglesworth
Mr and Mrs Stacey, who held a whist drive at Rufforth Village Hall
B L and E M Gray
Mrs W P Dickinson
Mr R R and Mrs E M Bramwell
Mr A I and Mrs Y Forman
Brenda and Roy Lee
Staff at The Press, who held a pre-Christmas book sale
York Associates
Mrs P A Booth
Mr A J Draper
Mrs M Wright
Miss Sunman
Derek Rowe
Melbourne Terrace Methodist Church
York Royal Naval Association
J H Shouksmith & Sons Ltd
The Ha Ha Bar
Eye department at York Hospital
RD and KB Newman
PJ and LJ Copley
Mrs P A Shore
Mr H Seavers
RH and C Waddington
MA and VA Waters
Mrs J M Smith
J Cawbill
St George's Methodist Church, in York
Mr and Mrs White
Pickering Medical Practice
Staff at the Ministry of Defence Police
headquarters at Imphal Barracks
Wellburn Care Homes
Daisy Chain Nursery
Carol-singers in Flawith
Rotary Club of York Ainsty
St Mary and St Nicholas Parish Church, in Wigginton
Westfield Primary Community School
Acomb Primary School
Hair and beauty tutors at York College
Miss J Bradley