Grateful couple kick in for babies' care

Thai kick boxing coach Nik Jessop (left) raised more $1700 for Whangarei Hospital's Special Care Baby Unit. With him are nurse Merophy Brown, Shelly Jessop with baby Valentina, and Lesli Churchill. Photo / Liz Inch

A Bay of Islands couple has raised more than $1700 in a martial arts event as a way of thanking hospital staff who looked after their seriously ill daughter.

Nik and Shelley Jessop, who run the Bay of Islands Lee Gar Gym, organised a Thai kick boxing event last month they called Warriors in Paradise.

It was held at the Copthorne Hotel in Waitangi and featured 28 boxers in adult and child divisions from as far away as Tauranga.

The couple's daughter, Valentina, was born with breathing difficulties and had to stay in Whangarei Hospital's Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) for a week until she was out of danger.

The Jessops were impressed by the work of SCBU staff but also concerned by some of the setbacks they faced, such as the theft of a donation box. They decided that once they returned home they would organise a fundraiser for the unit.

Mr Jessop said the event turned out to be "bigger than Ben Hur".

"All the local business helped to support it and people came from around the country, making it one of the biggest fight cards in Northland," he said.

The couple returned last week to hand over a cheque for $1718.10.

SCBU associate clinical nurse Merophy Brown said it was nice to know people appreciated their work. All staff in the unit focused on the best outcomes for babies and appreciated the Jessops' kindness.

"We feel very fortunate that Shelly and Nik have chosen to give so much of themselves to give back to our unit," she said.

The donation would buy blankets for needy families and wool for the volunteers who knitted hats, booties and jackets for the hospital's smallest patients.