An Inverness woman is raising funds to help staff who looked after her premature grandson at Raigmore Hospital.
Joan Mackenzie has launched a Just Giving page to raise £500 following the birth of her grandson Jude back in June.
Born at just 29 weeks and weighing just 3lbs 2oz, the family was “shocked” by the little one’s arrival.
Having been born 10 weeks earlier than anticipated, baby Jude’s lungs were not working yet, so he was put on a ventilator to help him along.
Mrs Mackenzie wrote on the Just Giving page: “After a long six days of just watching their wee boy every day my daughter Erin and her partner Kevin got told they were allowed a cuddle, the moment they had been waiting for.
“Not long after their first cuddle one morning when they went into see Jude, he had been taken off his ventilator, and another milestone was hit.”
Raigmore staff ‘absolutely amazing’
After two weeks, on July 5, baby Jude was transferred from the intensive care unit to the nursery at the Special Baby Care Unit (SCBU) at Raigmore.
Following this, 10 days later he was moved to a “big boys’ cot”, spending a total of six weeks in hospital while he “went from strength to strength”.
Baby Jude has now been home for several weeks and has been putting on weight and has shown massive improvement.
Mrs Mackenzie added: “Every single doctor and SCBU nurse that helped Jude were absolutely amazing, they didn’t just look after Jude they cared and looked out for my daughter Erin and her partner Kevin when some days seemed that little bit harder.”
In honour of the staff, Mrs Mackenzie is running the River Ness 10K on October 1, to raise funds for SCBU Raigmore.
Mrs Mackenzie will have the full support of her family including baby Jude cheering the whole way.
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