More than just a buggy

A family already overwhelmed by the immediate medical needs of their new baby, now faced the seemingly impossible task of financing an expensive pushchair – the only model suitable to accommodate the medical equipment their daughter so desperately needed. This was the reality before the nurse from Croydon’s Children’s Hospital at Home Team (CHAH) reached out to Stripey Stork, desperate to find assistance for her precious patient:

“When I approached Stripey Stork, the situation was urgent. One of my families were already being put through huge amounts of stress, and now needed to find a pushchair they would never be able to afford…”

Thankfully, a near-new condition Bugaboo Donkey pram system had been dropped off with Stripey Stork just days before. It had the basket already set-up, positioned alongside the cot, perfectly suited for carrying all the necessary medical equipment the family would need. Safety-checked, tested, and sent with love – the Stripey Stork volunteers could gift it to the CHAH team the same day!

“I was able to deliver the incredible pram the very next morning. The mum was so grateful, and amazed that another mum would give so generously to another family in need. On receipt of the pushchair, she turned to me and asked: what time will you collect it tomorrow? I then had the privilege of telling her, this as-new Bugaboo was hers to keep! It was a moment that will stay with me forever. It brought tears to my eyes, and hers.”

At Stripey Stork, confidentiality is of huge importance to the way we work. Which means often the families who donate will never get to know what happened to their once-loved baby and children’s things. In this case, we could update the donor on the new-life her pushchair was now having:

“Thank you so much for your lovely email update. It has moved me deeply. We really hope this lovely little baby gets better quickly and I am so happy to see the pram was of use to this family at a difficult time. Knowing where the pram has gone, truly puts things in perspective and adds another dimension to a simple action of passing items our family no longer need to your team. You are an amazing charity and we will always support you when we can.  Always!”

The kindness of donors will never go unnoticed, whether they get to hear the complete story of their donations or not. Donations of quality items are hugely valuable and assist babies and children with additional needs. A kind-hearted community of givers are changing the lives of local families with the simple act of recycling.