BRAVE toddler Miya Baker, who was born weighing only 1lb 2 oz, has endured another bout in hospital – but fortunately not for long.

Miya, who struggled for life when she was born 14 weeks premature in Southmead Hospital in Bristol 30 months ago, picked up a chest infection just before Christmas but shook this off quickly after just four days in Musgrove.

Mum and dad Shannon Baker and Luke Woodgate, who live in Rockwell Green, had another scare last July when they went on holiday to Turkey and found that Miya’s breathing cylinders were not in their hotel room. Eventually they had to cope with apparatus which they had not used before.

Miya also has cysts on her lungs but has been signed off by the lung specialists – although is still under the ‘diet tuitions’ in Musgrove due to her weight which is still only 15lb, almost half what it should be for a three year old.

She has to see a heart specialist to see if a hole in her heart will need operating on to close the hole and she is being closely monitored because Myra ‘can be a little monkey at times’.

She has been referred to a speech and language therapist and her favourite word is said to be ‘No.’

One big plus for Miya is that she no longer needs help with her breathing. 

Since her birth Shannon and Luke have been involved in various fundraising activities.

Shannon said: “We raised £1,306 for the SCBU in Musgrove. We would like to say a massive thank-you to Matt Tooze of Pride Shine Valeting for doing a charity car wash which raised £400 and the £906 made from a charity football match by Sampford Blues. There was also an online account of £220 for sponsors of Luke when he was sponsored in the Bristol half-marathon. 

“This money is being spent on a piece of equipment to help detect the levels of jaundice in a premature baby. 

“We also raised a further £1,437 for Acorns Children’s Ward in Musgrove. This was raised at a charity fun day hosted by Mark and Lorraine from the Barley Mow pub at Rockwell Green. That money is being spent on new chair/pull out beds for the parents to sleep on when their children move from the cubicals and onto the ward. It’s a way of keeping parents close to the children and not having to sleep in separate rooms. 

“We are just massively grateful for everyone’s support and input into all this fundraising. 

“Musgrove Children’s Department was over the moon with the money raised and so very thankful.

“We are planning more fundraising in the near future for the children’s ward at Musgrove Park. They have been outstanding to Miya, myself and Luke during all the hard times when Miya has been in hospital. They could not have done any more for us.”