South African athlete Wayde van Niekerk donated half a million rand to the Newborns Groote Schuur Trust to benefit premature babies on Thursday.
Wayde, who is currently the fourth fastest man in the 400m, was himself born premature at 29 weeks, weighing just over 1kg - a major reason why he wants to give other premature babies a fighting chance.
He describes his mom's experience in the days after his own birth:
“My mom told me that every day when she woke up, she didn’t know whether I was going to be alive or not, so it was easy for me to say, ‘Let’s help out other premature babies’.”
The unit at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town looks after some of the province's smallest citizens. In South Africa, more than eight out of every 100 babies are born prematurely.
Basic life-saving interventions can dramatically reduce newborn deaths, particularly for preterm babies.
These interventions include:
Providing regular checkups for pregnant mothers
Ensuring that births take place under the supervision of skilled health workers
Helping babies take their first breath
Coaching new moms on how to breastfeed
Keeping babies warm
Ensuring hygienic umbilical cord car
Wayde, who is currently the fourth fastest man in the 400m, was himself born premature at 29 weeks, weighing just over 1kg - a major reason why he wants to give other premature babies a fighting chance.
He describes his mom's experience in the days after his own birth:
“My mom told me that every day when she woke up, she didn’t know whether I was going to be alive or not, so it was easy for me to say, ‘Let’s help out other premature babies’.”
The unit at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town looks after some of the province's smallest citizens. In South Africa, more than eight out of every 100 babies are born prematurely.
Basic life-saving interventions can dramatically reduce newborn deaths, particularly for preterm babies.
These interventions include:
Providing regular checkups for pregnant mothers
Ensuring that births take place under the supervision of skilled health workers
Helping babies take their first breath
Coaching new moms on how to breastfeed
Keeping babies warm
Ensuring hygienic umbilical cord car
