This dad ran Sheffield 10k wearing crocs to thank the hospital staff who cared for his wife and baby daughter

A dad has raised almost £1K for the Sheffield hospital which cared for his baby – by running 10k in crocs.
Patrick, Nicole and their daughter Jasmine.Patrick, Nicole and their daughter Jasmine.
Patrick, Nicole and their daughter Jasmine.

Patrick O’Connor, aged 27, raised the money for the Jessop Wing by running the Sheffield 10K dressed in full NHS scrubs and bright orange crocs.

He decided to take on the challenge to thank the staff for the care they gave to his wife, Nicole, also 27, and their daughter, Jasmine, now three-months-old, when their were complications during the baby's birth.

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It was found that Jasmine’s face was positioned up instead of down, and her head and body were twisted to the side, making a natural birth difficult – and so Nicole had to have a Caesarean section.

Patrick said: “You always hear people talking about their perfect births so given our age and healthy lifestyles we never though anything out of the ordinary would happen.

“Reality set in fast when I was told to throw on some scrubs, a hairnet and some orange crocs. It felt like an eternity but after a long battle, 25 or so minutes, Jasmine was delivered.

“Initially Jasmine came out very shocked and did not cry, so she just needed a helping hand. After another 20 minutes we finally got to hold our little bundle of perfection, weighing 7lbs 3oz.

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“Twenty minutes without knowing if Jasmine was okay was heart-breaking for both me and my wife.

“Jasmine is doing absolutely fantastic now, she’s just the most perfect thing we’ve ever set eyes on, though we’re slightly biased.

“She’s feeding great and definitely starting to show a sassy side when she’s hungry.

“From the bottom of my heart I just want to say thank you to each and every member of staff who was there for my wife and daughter. It’s because of your care, expertise and the fact you acted so quickly that we now have a beautiful healthy daughter who we absolutely adore.

“If I was a millionaire I’d pay for you all to have well-earned holidays in the sun, but instead I ran 10K in scrubs and bright orange crocs.”

Donate at justgiving.com/fundraising/pocdoescharity.

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