Aston plays poster boy for Australian hospital campaign

3:19pm Wednesday 21st March 2007

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A LITTLE piece of Pembrokeshire is appearing in a campaign for an Australian children's hospital.

Aston Baker, a smiling 17-month-old, is pictured in a fundraising campaign for the hospital which saved his life.

His parents Reuben Baker and Catherine Hutchinson met while working at the Broad Haven Hotel, got married and moved to Sydney in 1996.

Aston was born in October 2005 with a rare liver condition. No suitable donor could be found and six months ago, Catherine bravely donated half her own liver to her son in a 12 hour live transplant at Westmead Children's Hospital.

Relatives travelled from Wales and America to be with the Bakers, including Reuben's mother and step-father Phyllis and Aad Oostermeijer, of Haverfordwest.

Phyllis said: "He is such a brave little boy. He has spent more of his life in hospital than out of it."

She also praised the dedication of her son and daughter-in-law.

"I believe their love has been a huge factor in the happy, smiley boy we see in all his pictures," she said.

"They have danced, sung and played for hours at Aston's bedside and Cath has slept in a chair bed, never once leaving Aston's side."

Now the family are giving something back to Westmead by allowing Aston's picture to be used in promotional material for the hospital's Bandaged Bear Day on March 30th.

Phyllis and Aad hope Aston's story will inspire people in Australia and Wales to make donations to help other children in his position.

"Such hospitals need all the support they can get," said Phyllis. "They provide specialist care, groundbreaking research and a positive, caring and healing environment."

( To donate, contact Westmead on 0061 2984 53364 or the Children's Liver Disease Foundation, Birmingham, on 01212 123839.