Playing with toy tractors and having fun with his nursery pals – an idyllic Thursday for a two-year old going about their day as normal.
For the parents of Rory Kemp from Inverness, this Thursday is far from an ordinary day. It is one that they will celebrate.
On Thursday 25th April 2024, Rory celebrates one year since his successful open-heart surgery at the Royal Hospital for Children (RHC), Glasgow.
Rory was the first baby born at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow on the first of January 2022. When he was in the womb, his parents Sophie Fraser and Terry Kemp were advised at 20 weeks that he had a cardiac heart defect (CHD). This was picked up during the routine antenatal scan in Raigmore Hospital, Inverness. This discovery meant that Sophie and Fraser could prepare for what was ahead of them, based on the information available at the time.
They were transferred to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s RHC to meet with a range of specialists who advised that Rory should be delivered at the QEUH Maternity Unit as the probability was that he would require the care of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at birth.
On Hogmanay, at just 35 weeks, Rory decided it was time for his entrance to the world and his family were blue-lighted to the QEUH where he was born as 0108 on the 1st of January 2022.
After a few days of testing, Rory’s diagnosis was confirmed. He had left atrial isomerism which had resulted in six heart defects. These were transposition of the great arteries, double outlet right ventricle, VSD, pulmonary stenosis, right aortic arch, and interrupted inferior vena cava.
Sophie and Fraser were advised that the left atrial isomerism could also cause problems with other organs, and in Rory’s case, he had a bowel malrotation, multiple spleens and two left lungs.
Sophie explained that Rory was strong. She said:
“Rory was very stable but struggled with feeding so after two weeks in the NICU he was flown closer to home and was transferred to Raigmore SCBU. After another week of working on feeding, we got to take him home for a week before we had to return to Glasgow for a bowel operation to correct the malrotation.
“Handing Rory over, our tiny five pound baby, was incredibly difficult but the amazing RHC theatre team helped put us at ease. Seeing Rory in PICU after the surgery was also something we could never have been prepared for, but the team once again were amazing. After two days Rory was back on the ward and after a week we once again got to go home.
“We had multiple clinic visits to Glasgow and a few admissions onto RHC’s Ward 1E over Rory’s first year before it was time for his heart surgery in April 2023. The theatre staff once again were amazing at helping us after as we found it incredibly difficult to watch him going to sleep,” she said.
Sophie recalls the next steps following the surgery and how far Rory has come in just 12 months.
“Rory has come on leaps and bounds following surgery. Learning to walk and, earlier this year, he started nursery for a few hours a week. He is one determined and stubborn little character, but I think this has a lot to do with how he has got through his first hard 18 months of life.
“Rory’s heart will never be ‘fixed’ and he will need further intervention later in childhood but for now he is your average two year old and we couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who has been involved in his care so far,” she said.
Mandy Meechan, Chief Nurse for Paediatrics at the Royal Hospital for Children, said:
“It is lovely to hear that Sophie and Terry felt so comfortable and safe in our care. We understand how nerve-wracking it can be for parents when their child is in surgery and that is why our care extends further than the child. We are delighted to hear that Rory is doing so well and that he has started nursery. It is amazing to think about what can be achieved in one year. Go Rory!” she said.
