A one-year-old boy who spent the first month of his life in neonatal intensive care is to lead a sponsored charity walk.
Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity’s Sponsored Walk next month will be led by Zac, who was born at just 30 weeks and treated in the city’s Royal Hospital for Children, requiring breathing assistance and tube feeding.
Mum Kirsty Nicol explained the tot is now thriving and ready to lead out the Sponsored Walk in a milestone achievement for the family - after taking part last year in his pram.
She said: “We expected that we would have our baby and immediately get to take him home, so it came as a shock that we had to spend our first days together on the neonatal unit.
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“Zac is thriving more than we could ever have imagined, and we know this is due to the amazing care he received from the hospital and charity teams at the start of his life.
“The neonatal team offered invaluable support at a really challenging time. Everyone who looked after Zac took the time to explain to us what the journey ahead was going to look like.
“The nurses on the unit are real life angels - they even helped to choose Zac’s name!
“Our family attended the Sponsored Walk last year, and since then Zac has hit so many milestones – including learning to walk. We are delighted Zac was asked to lead out the walk this year.”
Zac continues to attend outpatient appointments to see his consultant, physio, and speech and language therapist, while the family has benefitted from projects funded by Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, such as Cool Bags to help mothers feed their baby.
Nicol explained: “Premature babies are too small to feed on their own, so my breast milk was given to Zac via a tube. The Cool Bag helped with transporting my breast milk back and forth to the unit.
“Zac spent his first Christmas in hospital and was able to meet Santa for the first time on Christmas Eve thanks to the charity.
“Thanks to the charity-funded Little Inky Feet project, we also have a memento of Zac’s time in hospital to keep forever, as we were able to take prints of his tiny feet.”
Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity’s Sponsored Walk takes place on Saturday, September 16 and will start and end at the Riverside Museum.
Walkers can choose from a 3km or 10km route, both of which are fully accessible.
Kirsten Watson, CEO at Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We are so excited to come together in the biggest gathering of our hospital community at next month’s Sponsored Walk. We’re particularly excited to have a new route this year celebrating the hospital's history as it passes through Yorkhill, the site of the former children's hospital.”
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