A family have thanked the 'amazing' team at Glasgow's Royal Hospital for Children (RHC) for saving their son's life and supporting them through the hardest of times.
Little Struan Robertson is getting stronger and stronger each day following an incredible recovery and has just celebrated his first birthday, with his mum Lauren, dad David and big sister Freya, four.
Just over a year ago, Wishaw couple Lauren and Struan brought in the 2021 bells in a neonatal ambulance with the newborn fighting for his life following his birth at Wishaw University Hospital.
Lauren’s waters broke after just 25 weeks and both mother and baby were monitored in Wishaw until a C-section was arranged at 38 weeks. But after Struan was delivered, it was discovered that he was unable to breathe for himself and he was diagnosed with PPHN (Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension).
Despite the tireless efforts of the team at the University Hospital in Wishaw to stabilise his breathing, the decision was taken to transfer Struan to receive specialist Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) treatment at the RHC in Glasgow.
Lauren said: “When Struan was born he was in a really poor condition, he was struggling to breathe for himself and the team at Wishaw tried everything before the consultant said the final chance he had was to have ECMO treatment in Glasgow.
“At about 11:30pm we were transferred to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, bringing in the bells in the neonatal ambulance. Thankfully Struan was suitable for the treatment and he had surgery through the night before starting ECMO.”
Struan spent the next eight days receiving ECMO treatment, which does the job of the heart and lungs. Nurses, doctors and consultants, at both the RHC and Wishaw General, then continued to treat Struan until February 5, when the Robertson family were able to take Struan home.
Lauren, 33, said: “As a mum, you expect that you will be able to provide everything that your newborn baby needs. When Struan was struggling we were so grateful to the teams at Wishaw and the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow who were delivering the best care that we could have wished for. We were so lucky that these experts and treatments were available for our son in Glasgow.
“As soon as we arrived at the Royal Hospital for Children, we felt comforted and supported by the amazing staff, the care was second to none. It wasn’t just even the care they gave to Struan, but the support they offered to all of us. Freya wasn’t able to see her wee brother, but the nurses would wave to her from the window during our outdoor visits so that she knew where Struan was and who was helping him. This made her feel like she was there for him too."
While Struan continues to recover, both Lauren and David have been surprised and delighted by the progress their “wee star” is making.
David, 34, said: “He’s doing so well and while he didn’t have the easiest of starts he is playing away in the same way his big sister was at that age.
“Everything has been getting better and better, he’s sitting up and is already desperate to walk. Staff continually went above and beyond for us as a family, we can’t thank them enough.”
Dr Colin Peters, Consultant Neonatologist at the RHC, said: “We are so pleased to see how well Struan is doing following his ECMO treatment.
“The Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow is the only unit in Scotland where this life-saving specialist treatment is delivered and is done so by a team of hard-working and highly-trained nurses, neonatologists, surgeons and perfusionists with support from laboratories and many other specialists. I cannot speak highly enough of the dedication and commitment of the team who work around the clock to provide such a high-level of care.
“I would also to thank the team at University Hospital in Wishaw and our colleagues from the ScotSTAR Neonatal Transport Service for the support and care they provided.”
