Peeps HIE
2138. Sarah Land
2139. Steve Land
Sarah and Steve Land, from Manchester, founded ‘Peeps HIE’ the first charity dedicated to hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE), a lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain.
Now 8 years-old, their daughter Heidi, nicknamed Heidi-Peeps, experienced an HIE event in 2015, when she stopped breathing shortly after her birth. Sarah wanted to make sure other families were able to access relevant information, and have a place to share their experiences about the condition, and, together with Steve, set up the charity in 2018.
Over the last five years, the charity has raised over £470,000 to support families in accessing counselling, funding medical equipment, organising activities and creating informative resources. ‘Peeps HIE’ runs peer support group ‘Little HIEroes’, to act as a safe and inclusive environment for those with younger children, or those at the start of their HIE journey, but everyone is welcome. The charity also signposts to other charities and support groups, and works with organisations to assist with projects and improving services in relation to HIE.
Sarah and Steve said:
“We’re so surprised and pleased to hear of this award. We set up ‘Peeps’ Charity after our experience when our daughter Heidi was born – she had an H.I.E. event (Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy), which meant her brain went without oxygen. There can be lots of different causes of H.I.E. and a whole range of outcomes. Sadly, not all H.I.E. babies survive their injury.
“Heidi’s now 8, and although she has a long list of medical needs, she’s a happy and very loved little girl, who goes to school, enjoys socialising, and is a huge fan of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’.
“The early days were so frightening for us and we felt there was a gap in support, especially once we were home from hospital. We wanted to try and make a difference, for others who might be going through similar and that’s how ‘Peeps’ began. The name is also a nod to Heidi, who had the nickname “Heidi-Peeps” when we were in neonatal care.
“‘Peeps’ has grown significantly over the last 5 years, and we’ve met such wonderful families and had amazing support. We’ll keep doing our best to raise awareness of H.I.E. and hopefully help others realise that they aren’t on their own.
This is our first award and hopefully a way of getting H.I.E. talked about a little bit more. Thank you.”
See more about ‘Peeps HIE’