Shepp-made incubators take on 900km journey for premature babies

The challenge adds to the annual Walk for Prems fundraising event, and celebrates the 20th anniversary of Life’s Little Treasures Foundation.

LLTF aims to provide support, information and connection to families of sick and premature babies.

Shepparton mother Amber Bajada, whose now 18-year-old son Kruz was born prematurely at 32 weeks, said LLTF was a great organisation, and really helped her and her husband through a difficult time.

“Having a premature baby is like taking one step forward and two steps back,” she said.

“It was very scary, especially for my husband not knowing if we were going to make it — especially when we were flown to the Mercy for Women’s and Kruz was placed in NICU.

“It was so nice (LLTF) had so much information, and to know that others were out there going through the same thing and that we had support.”

Shepparton-based J. Furphy & Sons is engineering the two NICU incubators that will be used on the journey.

Managing director Adam Furphy said it was definitely one of the more unusual projects they’d had come through the workshop, but they were excited to be involved.

LLTF chief executive Felicia Welstead said there’d been so much support from the Goulburn Valley already, and the organisation hoped to raise $1 million for families going through the “isolating experience”.

“It’s such a beautiful story getting (the incubators modified) in a regional town because so many families are affected by prematurity or having a sick baby and going to the city ... it’s a really tough journey for those families regionally,” she said.

Participating hospital teams will receive 50 per cent of funds raised by their team to spend on equipment, training, or vital items that are needed for their local hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit or Special Care Nursery.

To register for the Walk for Prems Mighty Trek Challenge, visit themightytrek.org.au