Mum names daughter after 'superhero' nurse at Glasgow's Royal Hospital for Children

Parents Rachel Bizarion and Scott Adam have named their daughter Marnie.

She is named after the nurse who helped the family during Marnie's 12 week stay in Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Marnie was born at 39 weeks at Raigmore Hospital in the family's hometown of Inverness, but was quickly transferred to Glasgow's Royal Hospital for Children, where she met the nurse she would soon be named after.

Mum Rachel said: "Although our pregnancy was smooth, Marnie surprised us at birth with multiple complications.

"At just 10 hours old, she was airlifted from Raigmore to Glasgow, embarking on her first journey alone as I wasn’t allowed to travel with her as I had just given birth.

“In Glasgow's NICU, she was greeted by a remarkable nurse named Marnie McVeigh.

"This nurse's compassion and dedication inspired us to name our daughter after her.

"Nurse Marnie treated our little girl as her own, guiding us through some of the darkest days with unwavering support."

For the first eight weeks of her life, the NICU in Glasgow became Marnie's first home. Marnie underwent three major heart operations and three significant ENT repairs within those initial weeks.

Following her time in the NICU, she spent a week in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and three weeks in Ward 3b before she could finally return to Raigmore.

“The journey was incredibly challenging, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. For weeks, only mummy and daddy could meet her, while our family back home waited patiently and painfully to see her.

“The doctors, nurses, and surgeons there made us feel like family during our stay.

"Marnie is our superhero, but so are the entire team who cared for us and continue to do so during both inpatient and outpatient stays.

"We owe a debt of gratitude to everyone who gave our girl the strength and determination to overcome those early challenges,” she said.

Marnie Adam is now three years old and happily attending nursery in Inverness - with her namesake delighted to hear about her progress.

"Making sure families feel supported regardless of distance is challenging, but I'm very glad to be part of a team that values family-integrated care so much that it becomes second nature to us," said Marnie McVeigh.

“I may be a little biased, but having Rachel choose Marnie as a final name is pretty awesome as it means I have a lasting link with a family that really needed support through one of the most challenging moments of their early days as a family.

"I wouldn't change my job in NICU for anything, and having families keep in touch and give us these stories as feedback is just the icing on the cake for me."