Finlay Eric tragically passed away when he was almost five months old. A post-mortem highlighted that he had an undiagnosed congenital heart defect, amongst other complications. Here, his mum Ruth, tells their story:
(The photos in this story were taken by and belong to the author, depicting their family’s personal journey.)
My husband, Finlay, and I were over the moon when we found out we were expecting our first child, due early February 2021. We were so excited and couldn’t wait to start this next chapter as “Mum and Dad”.
I kept well throughout my pregnancy until mid-December, I was about 32 weeks, and I developed symptoms of pre-eclampsia. Through measurements and growth scans, it also became apparent that Finlay Eric wasn’t growing as expected. Given our remote and rural location in the Outer Hebrides, the decision was made to transfer us to Glasgow for an early delivery. Our hearts were filled with a love we’d never known when we welcomed Finlay Eric to the world on the 12th of January, weighing 5lb 2oz.
We returned to Stornoway after a few days and began to adapt to our new life together. Ongoing Covid restrictions meant that we had a very sheltered few weeks with limited contact with family and friends. We soon got into a routine, Finlay Eric would have a morning nap in the sun, usually a blustery walk around the town in the afternoon, and a bath beside the peat fire in the evening.
As we came into Spring, Finlay Eric was full of smiles and lovely, babbly chatter, his big blue eyes full of love and happiness. He loved playing in his activity gym, which had the catchiest tunes that he’d sing along to and kick his legs as if he were dancing. Covid restrictions finally eased in May, we were able to have a few play dates with friends and we went to our first baby group, baby massage, which he loved.
Towards the end of May, Finlay Eric developed a tummy bug. As he had been premature, his weight gain and growth were closely monitored by our Health Visitor, so when he was still unwell after a couple of days, I was keen to get him seen by the GP. The GP gave Finlay Eric a full check, she didn’t seem concerned but arranged a follow up appointment for Monday morning anyway.
Finlay Eric woke as normal on Monday and as always, had a kick about in his gym with the playful tunes he loved so much. Our GP appointment was arranged for 11am, Finlay Eric showed few signs for concern other than a slightly elevated heart rate. However, he had now been unwell for a few days, so we were referred to the Paediatrician.
I gave Finlay Eric a bottle as we waited for my husband to come from work before going to the hospital. He started to cough and splutter, and then went pale and weak as if he were fainting. I propped him up to wind him and he seemed to regain his strength, we rushed straight to the hospital which is only a couple of minutes’ drive from our home.
By the time we reached the hospital Finlay Eric had perked up, he was looking around and had some colour in his cheeks again. We were taken to the Paediatrician who did several checks; he decided to admit Finlay Eric for a couple of days for fluids. The Paediatrician suggested trying to feed him again though not to worry if he didn’t take it as he was now on IV fluids. The same reaction happened as had happened at home a couple of hours earlier. My husband rushed to the corridor to alert the Paediatrician who was already on his way rushing back to us after getting Finlay Eric’s blood results. The results revealed that his condition was significantly more serious than first thought.
We were rushed through to another room, and doctors and nurses from other departments started arriving with concern and alarm in their faces. I held Finlay Eric in my arms as they attached various monitors to him, I didn’t know what was happening. The doctors didn’t know what was causing Finlay Eric to be so unwell and planned to transfer him to Glasgow where he could receive specialist help. However, his condition deteriorated so rapidly that this wasn’t possible.
At about 5pm, an anaesthetist turned to me and said that they were going to intubate Finlay Eric to help with his oxygen levels, and that she wasn’t sure if he would survive this procedure. I couldn’t speak. I was in shock. In denial. The words “He has a tummy bug, he has a tummy bug!” were going round and round my head, “How have we gone from a tummy bug to questioning if he will survive!” We had to leave Finlay Eric with the doctors at this point. The intubation was successful and as part of the procedure they took an x-ray of his chest – this showed that he had an enlarged heart and that he was in heart failure.
As we were out of the room a team of specialists from Glasgow arrived and a short while later a nurse with tears in her eyes came to collect us from the relatives’ room. As we entered the room, the severity of the situation was palpable. Surrounded by doctors and nurses, Finlay Eric was fighting for his life. She brought us to his bedside, and I held his tiny hand for hours as the team fought tirelessly to stabilise him.
At 2330 on the 31st of May one of the consultants from Glasgow turned to us with the devastating and heart shattering words that changed our lives forever, “There is nothing more I can do to save your boy”. The machines were switched off, the room emptied, and I held Finlay Eric in my arms once again as I had done for so many wonderful, precious hours over the 20 weeks prior to that moment.
Finlay Eric’s post-mortem highlighted that he had an undiagnosed congenital heart defect, coarctation of the aorta, amongst other complications.
Our beautiful blue-eyed Pup is loved and sorely missed every moment of every day, and we treasure every precious memory of our time together. After Finlay Eric’s passing, we wanted to understand more about congenital heart disease and what had happened to our boy. We came across Tiny Tickers and are beyond thankful for the ongoing support that we have received from the team since Finlay Eric’s passing. Their mission to raise awareness of the importance of early detection of congenital heart disease means so much to us and we are forever grateful to our family, friends and the community who have enabled us to create a lasting legacy for Finlay Eric through donations made to the charity in his memory.
We are incredibly grateful to Ruth and Finlay for their generous funding of our Think HEART online course for health professionals, as well as funding pulse oximetry machines for NHS Western Isles, in memory of their beloved Finlay Eric.
View Finlay Eric’s Much Loved tribute here.
You must be logged in to post a comment.