I AM sure that there has been plenty of response to the article (July 16) about the closure of the special care baby unit at Fairfield, but I just had to recount my story.

I gave birth to a baby boy seven weeks ago by caesarean section. He had breathing difficulties at birth and was rushed to the neo-natal unit. It transpired that he had a serious lung infection and had to be ventilated for three days. In total he spent seven days in the unit.

The staff were wonderful, not only in how they did their job but as human beings, sensitive to the distress and anxiety a parent faces when they have a seriously-ill child. We were so impressed by one of the nurses (Judy) that we named our son Ethan Jude Bebbington.

Had our son had to go to a different hospital, I would not have been able to see him or be with him for at least four days as I had to recover from my operation. I expressed breast milk so that the nurses could feed him, which is vital for a sick baby. I would not have been able to do that if he had been elsewhere.

I think that the health authority is being irresponsible by playing around with lives of new-born babies, who are particularly vulnerable if born with complications.

Thankfully our son is doing great now, but we will never forget what the SCBU did for us. We owe them a great deal.

AMANDA BEBBINGTON.

Glenwood Close,

Radcliffe.