Southampton, United Kingdom, 16th July 2013 — Hampshire-based contact lens manufacturer, CooperVision, has donated £1,000 to help boost fundraising efforts for Great Ormond Street Hospital, who saved the life of desperately ill Sarah Howe when she was given just a five per cent chance of survival at birth. Sarah’s 10,000ft charity skydive, which took place on the 31st March 2013 in Salisbury, celebrated her milestone 18th birthday.
Born unable to breathe for herself, four-day old Sarah from Stubbington, was dramatically transported from Portsmouth to London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital, arriving with just 15 seconds of life-giving oxygen left. Sarah’s parents were told that had the oxygen run out their little girl would have died within minutes.
As a CooperVision employee, Sarah’s father, Richard, approached his bosses for potential sponsorship of his daughter’s daredevil jump.
He said: “Being there first-hand to witness the situation whereby my newborn baby girl’s lungs failed to inflate after delivery, a condition known as respiratory distress syndrome, was absolutely terrifying. We are so grateful that Sarah is still with us today and as a company that regularly supports local initiatives I was hopeful CooperVision would want to be involved.”
Commenting on the skydive, Sarah said: “I’ve always wanted to take part in a skydive and thought it would be an impactful way for me to honour the hospital that saved my life. Although I was nervous, I absolutely loved the experience and am already planning my next dive!
“I would like to say a big thank you to CooperVision for donating the money to me. It will make such a difference to children like me who, without the dedication and tireless support of Great Ormond Street Hospital, wouldn’t be here today.”
CooperVision UK and Ireland Marketing Manager, Rob Healey, said: “We have been delighted to support Sarah’s fundraising for such a worthy cause. As a company we pride ourselves on listening to the people we work with and partnering with them to achieve the greater good, be that with our customers, patients or fellow employees.”
To date Sarah has raised £1,300 and hopes to continue the good work throughout 2013.
###
MEDIA CONTACT: Fiona Healey, Five by Five UK
CONTACT DETAILS: fiona.healey@fivebyfiveuk.com
+44 (0) 2380 827372
About CooperVision
CooperVision, a unit of The Cooper Companies, Inc. [NYSE: COO], is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of soft contact lenses. Dedicated to continually bringing a fresh perspective to the contact lens experience for practitioners and patients, CooperVision specialises in lenses for astigmatism, presbyopia, and ocular dryness. The company routinely collaborates with eye care professionals in the research and development of relevant products. CooperVision manufactures a full array of monthly and daily disposable contact lenses featuring advanced materials and optics.
For more information, visit www.coopervision.co.uk.
Contact lenses are medical devices and can only be prescribed and dispensed by a licensed eye care professional.