Family walks 125 miles for their 'little miracle'

THEY'RE RAISING FUNDS FOR CHARITY 'COTS FOR TOTS'

- By LEWIS CLARKE

The family were able to stay with little Mireya

WHEN Mireya Andrews celebrated her first birthday in July, it wasn’t just a family occasion marked by cake and cuddles — it was a powerful milestone in a journey that began in fear and uncertainty.

Her parents, Autumn and James Andrews, have lived through a year that tested them in every way: emotionally, physically, and logistically.

Now, in a remarkable act of gratitude, they've decided to walk more than 125 miles as a family - a journey that retraces the path of Mireya’s earliest and most fragile days, raising money for the charity that supported them when they needed it most.

Their walk started on Saturday, October 25, from their home in Tavistock, ending at St Michael’s Hospital in Bristol - the place where Mireya underwent critical treatment before and after her birth.

James explained what inspired the challenge: “We can’t believe our little miracle turned one in July, so to mark this occasion we have decided that we want to give back to the people that were there for us and who supported us through the most challenging times as a family while she was in NICU”

Mireya’s story begins before she ‘was even born. At just 34 weeks and five days gestation, she arrived into the world in a state of emergency. Though she weighed a little over five pounds, a significant amount of that was fluid retained due to a rare and life-threatening condition diagnosed during pregnancy.

Autumn recalled the moment everything changed: “We received an awful diagnosis that our baby had pleural effusion and was hydropic. This meant she had fluid around her lungs and was holding too much fluid in her body, which ended up crushing and deflating her lungs from the pressure”