Preston James Steele-AlstonPreston James Steele-Alston died on 10 August 2003 at two and a half years of age. Preston had been suffering pneumonia from a simple virus, which caused an acute lung injury. This allowed a secondary bacterium to invade his body causing an overwhelming sepsis. Preston was promptly put on life support but died a few short hours later. Children are taken to hospital for any number of injuries, illnesses and diseases, including lung injuries like Preston. 60 to 70% of those children taken to hospital require life support in the form of mechanical ventilation. The difficulty is that not all children respond to standard types of ventilation. This is why the Preston James Research Fund continues to raise funds for this important research. When your lungs are working, you need your heart to be working as well. This is why the Preston James Fund has incorporated cardiac research and equipment for children's life support into its scope. We want to support as many little lives as possible. But Preston's story is just one of many, many children who require life support.
The Leeuwendal family have offered to share their story about their son Thomas who has experienced many hard days in his short life. Despite it all, Thomas has come out smiling. Please read his story... |  |
| This is a story of a little boy named Hamish, who had to fight for his life at the Mater Hospital Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). Please read his story... |
When Joe Akachich attended the Preston James Fund’s Jellyfish Lunch in 2008 he had no reason to believe it was anything more than
another charity lunch. An important cause of course, but far removed from his reality. Please read their story... | 
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| When Sian Healey was born, her mum Deb realised that something wasn't quite right. She didn't open her eyes, and didn't cry like her older brother had. Please read her story... |
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