Kahmarni’s and Dante’s Story

Parents Joe and Jodey tell the story of two of their sons.

Two years ago, in 2023, our baby boy Dante was born two months premature. The care we received in those weeks, from the nurses and doctors in the neonatal unit at St Helier’s Hospital, was amazing. This was not our first time on a neonatal unit - they had also saved the life of our second-born, Kahmarni, two years before that in 2021. Kahmarni was born with suspected severe HIE as he was not breathing when born and had to be resuscitated and then treated with therapeutic hypothermia. 

Both our sons, Kahmarni and Dante, began their lives in the most unexpected way — fighting for every breath in St Helier’s Neonatal Unit after traumatic births.

Kahmarni receiving therapeutic hypothermia treatment and was transferred to St George’s Hospital from St Helier Hospital for treatment. After successful therapeutic hypothermia treatment, he came back to St Helier Hospital’s neonatal unit.

Those first days and weeks were some of the hardest of our lives. We and their big sister Rae, watched our tiny babies surrounded by wires, cared for around the clock by a team whose skill, compassion, and dedication quite literally saved them. The doctors, nurses, and support staff not only cared for our boys — they cared for us, holding our hands through fear, exhaustion, and uncertainty.

We will never forget their kindness.

We would love to give something back to the place that so lovingly looked after our babies.

On the 20th of September 2025, Joe completed the Serpentine 2-mile swim and raised over £1,300 to support St Helier’s Neonatal Unit so they can continue to provide life-saving care for other families who find themselves where we once were. 

I’d completed the London Marathon twice, completed the Ride London 100 miles 3 times, but I always thought the London Classics medal was beyond me because I could not swim.

I wanted to do something to pay the incredible neonatal team back for the work they do every day. I decided that this something could not just be another marathon or 100-mile ride. It had to be something completely out of my comfort zone.

I learnt how to swim at my local pool, going three times a week, watching YouTube videos and trying out the tips during the swimming sessions. A few months ago, I could not do more than a couple of lengths, but I kept at it.

And I did it! I swam two miles, nonstop!

Thank you to St Helier’s Hospital, thank you to all the midwives, nurses, doctors and consultants. Words cannot express the difference you made to our lives. Because of you, our sons are living happy, healthy lives.

Hopefully, this serves as a little token of our appreciation for all that you have done for us. 

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