Barbara Rodrigo Gimon

This November I’m taking on the Premmie Marathon Challenge in honour of our daughter, Martina — and to give hope to all the tiny fighters like her.

I’ll be clocking up my kms in the Premmie Marathon Challenge to raise funds for life-saving neonatal equipment that gives critically ill and premature babies a better chance of survival.

Our daughter Martina was born at just 32 weeks, weighing 1.789 kg. I had been hospitalised since week 28 after my waters broke, and every single extra day she stayed in my belly made a huge difference for her development. After she was born, we spent two long months in hospital — one of them under the “hospital in the home” program — watching her fight every day like a true little warrior.

It was an incredibly tough journey. My husband and I are both from Spain and have no family in Australia, so we went through the entire experience on our own. It wasn’t easy, but it made us stronger than ever — together, we felt invincible.

Today, Martina is a happy, healthy, and cheeky baby, always smiling and full of energy. We’ll celebrate her first birthday this November — something that felt almost impossible a year ago.

We’ll always be deeply grateful to the amazing doctors, nurses, and midwives at the Royal Hospital for Women in Randwick, especially those in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, for their professionalism, compassion, and care during the hardest days of our lives.

Knowing how costly neonatal care is, we want to give back. Thanks to the generosity of donors before us, Martina had access to the equipment and medical support that helped her survive and thrive. Now, through this challenge, we hope to help other babies who are fighting the same battle.

If you can, please make a tax-deductible donation to support this cause. Every kilometre we run — and every dollar you donate — helps save lives.