Finlay's Story

Bradley and Jacob meet their new brother

Natalie had come to the end of perfect pregnancy. In October 2017 she and Andrew welcomed little Finlay into the family.

Within six hours everything had changed. Finlay was fighting for his life and was being rushed to the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.

A quick diagnosis

Thanks to the expertise of the medical team it was quickly established that Finlay had Hirschsprungs disease. This is a rare condition that mainly affects babies and young children. The disease effects the nerves that control the continuous squeezing and relaxing of the bowel.

“He was so poorly, we were not sure he was going to survive” remembered Natalie.

Finlay needed urgent surgery followed by a stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). There are no facilities in the intensive care units in the hospital for a family member to sleep. “I didn’t want to leave his side but also needed to sleep and keep strong” explained Natalie.

A room at THE HOUSE

The ward clerk explained to Natalie and Andrew that they could apply for a room at the House. The clerk filled in their paperwork and sent it over to the staff at the House to assess. Andrew recalled how “Thankfully we were offered a place at the House. Although we could visit Finlay in NICU we obviously couldn’t sleep there”.

He went on to say “The House welcomed our family with open arms. It was home from home for us. Our other two children were able to visit and stay at the weekends keeping us together as a family of five. The facilities were first class and staff very welcoming. We were able to cook our meals and chat with other families going through similar situations”.

Natalie continued “We will be forever grateful to the Houseand it will always hold a very special place in our hearts. We donate every Christmas to the House in the hope that the service continues and helps other families in need”.

Finlay continues his journey

Finlay has been through various major surgeries and has given his family some scares along the way! Natalie told us “He has good days and bad days. However, with the wonderful expertise of his surgical team he is thriving. Finlay wouldn’t be here today without them and we are so thankful to them and the House”.

We wish Finlay and his family all the best and that he will soon make a full recovery.