Dream trip for ‘little fighter’ Lily Jade and her proud parents

Emma Wyatt and Dom Turner’s little girl Lily Jade Turner weighed only one pound, six ounces when she was born on June 28 after 23 weeks of pregnancy, and immediately encountered a series of complications.

But after coming through a turbulent first few months of her life, Lily and her parents, who live in Southowram, will be jetting off on holiday courtesy of the Black Bull pub in Brighouse, where Emma used to work.

The pub ran a bucket wish list competition in which the family were nominated for a dream getaway.

”We only found out recently so we’re still really shocked, we still can’t believe it,” said Emma.

”We haven’t decided where we’re going to go yet but it’ll probably be next year.”
Lily Jade was born at Calderdale Royal Hospital before being transferred to Bradford Royal Infirmary.

“It was so hard, unbelievably hard,” Emma said. “There have been so many ups and downs.  
“She was born with a hole in her heart, a bleed on the brain, she needed blood transfusions, she had infections, her retinas aren’t forming properly, so she’s still got to have her eyes tested.

”But hopefully all those things will be fine. She’s a little fighter.

”Everything was absolutely fine up until the day I went into labour.

“I had really bad cramps so we went to the hospital and found out I was in labour.

”I thought she wouldn’t make it, it was horrible, awful. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

“Dom was really supportive, he never left my side.

”Afterwards, they just said it could have been an infection, or it could have been a number of things that caused it. They’re not too sure.

”She was so tiny, she was see through.

”There were quite a few people in the room during my labour, and when she was born they gave her oxygen straight away and put her in an incubator.

”It was touch and go for a while, but she’s here.

”She still looks like she’s a newborn, she’s still so tiny.

”She’s definitely her own little character, she pulls all these funny little faces.”