On May 26th Nadia Budge participated in the Huntly Half Marathon to raise funds to go towards two EEG Monitors for Kidz First Neonatal Care and in honour of her son Cameron. The date of the marathon was significant in that it was the day Cameron passed away in Nadia’s arms in 2013 at three and a half days old.
An EEG monitor is attached to a baby’s head to display and monitor their brain activity. For Nadia, the equipment is incredible as she felt like he knew who she was his mum though he never saw his mother. When Nadia would touch Cameron or hold his hand the activity would spike, “that will stay with me forever so a new monitor is something that resonates with me so other people can hold onto those moments should they have to go through it.”
Eager to get going, Nadia set up a Givealittle page and trained for three and a half months, running over 320kms! Nadia raised an amazing $2510 completed the run in a remarkable 2 hours and 5 minutes - a fantastic accomplishment.
Nadia told us crossing the finish line with both of her boys, one in her hand and one in her heart, made it such a special day for all of her family. She had a heart-shaped locket with her the whole run which had Cameron’s hair in it, giving Nadia numerous emotions of pride, love, grief and relief.
On behalf of Nadia we would like to pass on a big thank you to everyone who donated towards the EEG monitors and for supporting a cause close to her heart “It's an incredible thing and I am forever grateful for your support and belief in me.”
With the donations from Nadia and Countdown, we are now in the process of getting the equipment. The EEG Monitor helped Nadia during a difficult time and the addition of two new monitors means many more families will be able to see their child’s brain activity. If you would like to contribute to Kidz First Neonatal Care, please visit our donation page.