The parents of triplets delivered three months prematurely have raised a mammoth £250,00 for the west London hospital unit which saved their babies' lives.
Anna and Andrew Collier established the '3 Little Miracles Fund' in 2007 to buy incubators, ventilators and other specialist medical gear which will help treat premature babies at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital.
They were inspired to fundraise for the unit after the lives of Emily, Isabel and Ben were saved by the care they received at the hospital.
Anna was rushed to Chelsea and Westminster on January 6, 2006, after she went into labour with the triplets. They were delivered 29 weeks early, weighing just 2lbs each, leaving the couple with a heart-wrenching wait to see if their frail children would survive.
An exhausted Annna could not see her newborns for 24 hours and was unable to hold them for a further day as they were covered in wires battling for their lives inside incubators.
But after 101 nerve shredding days under the watchful eye of hospital staff the triplets were allowed home with their parents, and are all now healthy and happy toddlers.
"If it wasn't for the hospital our babies would not be alive today. The care we received was fantastic," said Anna. "We're so lucky to because the triplets are perfect in every way. We set up the charity as a way to give something back to the hospital for giving our babies a chance of life."
Husband Andrew added:"The charity has grown way beyond out expectations. We not only reached but exceeded our once audacious fundraising target of £250,000. The fact that the triplets survived without any long-term health problems associated with prematurity seems like a medical miracle to us – everyone calls Isabel, Emily and Ben the 3 little miracles".
The cash has paid for four incubators, four ventilators and a state of the art travel incubator which will allow critically ill babies to be taken between hospitals for specialist care.
Donations flooded into the fund from across London and beyond.
The National Surveyors Sevens Rugby tournament at Richmond Rugby Club raised £35,000 while a gala ball hosted by Rugby legend-turned-presenter John Inverdale held at the Hurlingham Club raised £115,000.
Dr Gary Hartnoll, consultant Neonatologist who treated the triplets at Chelsea and Westminster, said: "On behalf of all the staff at the unit I would like to say a big thank you to Anna, Andrew and anyone who donated so generously to the fund."
