Laura’s running to say ‘thank you’
Laura Pagan, Talent Acquisition Manager at Manchester-based legal recruitment firm, William James Recruitment, was supported by Spoons when her son, Ethan, was born 6 weeks early. Laura and her family experienced the highs and lows of neonatal care in the weeks after his birth.
Now, to support other families going through neonatal care in Greater Manchester, Laura and 13 of her colleagues have committed to take part in the iconic Great Manchester Run this May to raise vital funds for Spoons’ services.
“My pregnancy journey wasn’t an easy one. Being 41 and having already gone through a grueling IVF journey, the first 5 months of my pregnancy were tough, I was terribly sick, and my mental health suffered greatly. Then, when my son Ethan arrived 6 weeks early, I honestly thought I’d fall to pieces but instead, I went into survival mode. I’d run into the hospital each day to take care of him, despite recovering from a c-section that had been performed merely days earlier. I can’t look back without getting emotional, but one thing that stands out is the care and support we received during our journey.
During Ethan’s 2 week stay in the NICU ward, we were approached by a member of staff from Spoons, a charity that supports families through their neonatal journey. They offered us counselling, drop-in group sessions, stay-and-play days (post-discharge), and much more.
The support we received was invaluable and it was comforting to know that we weren’t alone.
Now, we want to give back as much as we can to support other families who may find themselves in a similar situation. We have a team participating in this year’s Great Manchester Run on Sunday, May 26th to raise funds for Spoons and support their amazing work in the community.”
Kirsten Mitchell, Founder and Operations Manager of Spoons, thanked the team:
We cannot thank Laura and the William James Recruitment team enough for their commitment to raising funds for Spoons. We’re delighted they’ve joined #TeamSpoons to run on 26th May! I’ll be running too, alongside other staff and volunteers, and we can’t wait.
You can show your support for Team WJ Recruitment by donating to their fundraising page here.