An Aberdeenshire grandmother has thanked those who helped her baby grandson undergo life-saving heart surgery.
Rachel Rennie, from Oyne, near Insch, appealed to the north-east to help her daughter Emma, who lives in Zimbabwe, and her young family.
Baby Callen was born four weeks early on April 17 with a heart condition, and just 10 days later suffered a cardiac arrest.
He was flown to Sunninghill Hospital in Johannesburg for urgent surgery.
But with medical costs mounting up to more than £80,000, his family desperately launched a GoFundMe to cover the costs to allow the operation to go ahead.
Callen continues to be a brave battler
Doctors had originally told Callan’s parents, Emma and Scotty, that they would do the operation when he got to the right weight.
But then it was postponed until full payment was secured – which the family was only able to do thanks to the generosity of family and well-wishers around the globe.
Finally, Callan – whose name means “brave little battler” in Gaelic – had the surgery on Monday.
Surgery a success
Mrs Rennie, who is yet to meet her grandson, said: “He is definitely a fighter.
“It was excruciating for Scotty and Emma.
“The stress has really been effecting her physically.”
Emma’s two other children, Ashton, 10, and Eliana, six, have remained in Zimbabwe.
She told her mum at the weekend she can’t wait to get home and have the whole family together.
The family have been keeping friends, family, and well-wishers up-to-date on the Facebook page Callen’s Heart.
The family have been keeping friends, family, and well-wishers up-to-date on the Facebook page Callen’s Heart.
What is wrong with Callen’s heart?
Before birth, all babies have a natural hole in their heart which is used while the lungs are unusable in the womb.
It usually closes shortly after babies are born.
But in Callen’s case, the closure would be life-threatening due to his heart condition.
He was on medication to keep the hole in his heart open, but it had serious side effects on his breathing and made it difficult for Callen to even cry.
Now after the surgery Callen’s family hope he will be able to lead a normal life.
Mrs Rennie, 58, said: “With the way he has been fighting I am sure he will overcome any sort of issues in front of him.”
The grandmother is determined to do what she can to help her daughter as she knows all too well the pain of losing a baby. Her own son Bruce died in her arms shortly after being born.
‘Support has been amazing’
The family remains determined to continue raising money as they already have over £30,000 on the Baby Callen JustGiving page.
Eventually, the family hopes to raise £80,000, despite the estimated full cost of £160,000.
Mrs Rennie said: “At the moment we have no idea how they will pay that off.
“The people who have supported us financially and the people who have sent cards it has been super.”
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