Doncaster dad whose baby was given 5% chance of survival now training to be a paramedic
Carl Birks is doing an ice bath every day for 116 days to raise money for the team who transported his daughter to Sheffield Children's Hospital
Last updated 19th Jul 2023
A Doncaster dad whose baby girl was given a five per cent chance of survival has told how he's now been inspired to train as a paramedic.
Carl Birks from Hatfield is currently doing an ice bath every day for 116 days - the length of time his daughter Felicity spent in hospital before she was able to come home.
It's to raise money for Embrace, South Yorkshire's specialist transport service which transferred Felicity to Sheffield Children's Hospital after she was born 11 weeks premature at Doncaster Royal Infirmary.
Having undergone an emergency caesarean section, mum Charlie had to stay at the DRI whilst Felicity and Carl were taken to Sheffield.
“It was just the way the team from Embrace dealt with me, put me at ease, looked after me, gave me something to eat and drink…that’s the only thing I can really remember from that transfer,” says Carl.
“I don’t know what I would’ve done without them. I was beside myself panicking, everything was just a blur. They got my head in the right mindset and said I’m not going to be any good to look after Felicity if I’m not looking after myself. It was just the fact they made sure I was okay as well.”
Felicity was born with a rare condition called Hydrops Fetalis, which causes a build-up of fluid in an unborn baby. She had to be resuscitated then underwent multiple surgeries, at one point being given a five per cent chance of survival.
“We got taken into rooms and were told the likelihood is she’s not going to make it. We took hour by hour to start with, and then day by day, week by week, and now here we are.
“Your whole world just crumbles. Because there’s nothing you can do. I just had to sit back and watch the nurses, doctors and consultants do everything they could. And thank God they did.”
Now four, Carl describes Felicity as a ‘sassy whirlwind’ who has lots of attitude. She’s currently enjoying helping with the ice bath challenge, appearing on lots of Carl’s TikTok videos and sitting in her own little ‘ice bath’ in the garden to keep him company,
Carl is aiming to raise £1,000 for Embrace with the challenge, which sees him sit in an ice bath once a day for 116 days.
He’s also training to be a paramedic, having lost his job as a car salesman during the pandemic.