A brave little girl will be home in time for Christmas and her first birthday after spending nearly a year in hospital following her premature birth last December.
Ava Walker-Hipkiss, who was born 16 weeks early weighing just 1lb 4oz, has left Ronald McDonald House in Southampton following a 268-night stay.
Mum Lily Walker and Dad David Hipkiss were airlifted from the family home on the Isle of Wight and Ava was born at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth before being transferred to Southampton.
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The family spent nine weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Princess Anne Hospital, followed by time in Southampton Children’s Hospital.
Now, 11-month-old Ava and her parents are back on the Island where she will be monitored in hospital for a week before going home for the first time.
Despite ongoing health issues, she is thriving and now weighs 13lbs 11oz.
Mum Lily said: "Ava's first birthday is fast approaching, along with her first Christmas, so we’re so pleased to be home for those milestones and we’ll no doubt be making lots of memories in the weeks ahead.
"Although we hope never to have a prolonged hospital stay with Ava again, we will miss the staff and the other families we got to know so well at Ronald McDonald House and we’ll be forever grateful for the support and friendship they gave us. We plan to visit as soon as we can!"
Dad David added: "It's amazing to see how far Ava has come and we can’t wait to introduce her to lots of family and friends, who’ve not met her yet.
"Ava has a number of ongoing health issues, including chronic lung disease, but she is doing so well and her strength has kept us going."
Sarah-Jayne Bevis, House Manager at Ronald McDonald House Southampton, told the Daily Echo: "We are here for families for as long as they have a sick child in hospital, no matter how long that might be.
"It was our pleasure to be able to provide a ‘home away from home’ for Lily and David and help ease some of the emotional and financial burden for them while Ava was receiving the treatment she needed. It’s sad to see them go, but we are so pleased they can finally go home and start their next chapter as a family."
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