SAVE THE DATE: H.I.E. Awareness Day, 4 April

Have you #HeardOfHIE?

A charity set up to support families touched by H.I.E. (Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy) will hold its sixth awareness day on Thursday 4^th April.

H.I.E. is a lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain, which typically occurs before, during or after labour.  It affects approximately 3-4 in 1,000 babies in the UK each year, and can cause injury to the brain, with varying levels of severity.

The charity Peeps was set up in 2018 by parents Sarah and Steve Land, after the birth of their daughter, with the aim of ensuring that no family experiencing H.I.E. will feel alone.

Peeps provides access to peer support, counselling and trauma therapy, funding for specialist equipment and brings the H.I.E. community together through a range of on-line and in-person events ranging from information sessions to infant massage groups.  Last year, it arranged and funded over 400 hours of counselling and trauma therapy, sent out over 400 free parent information packs and organised its first ever fully accessible, subsidised holiday for families.

“The world of H.I.E can be scary and challenging.  We want to offer a safe space, where people feel held and supported on their journey,” says co-founder Sarah Land.

There are lots of opportunities for people to get involved in the #HeardOfHIE campaign on 4 April.

• Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter, @PeepsHIE and help us spread the word.  Every share and like for our #HeardOfHIE campaign counts!
• Sign up for our regular newsletter
• Help us raise funds by visiting our online shop https://peeps-2.teemill.com/ (a donation from each sale comes to Peeps so we can support even more families) or check out our website for how to get involved.

“Our vision is that every person in the UK touched by H.I.E. can access appropriate support.  We want to raise awareness of H.I.E. and ensure people know what it is and how we can help,” says Sarah Land.

For more information visit the Peeps’ website www.peeps-hie.org