This is
Kyle’s last Christmas
 Time is running out for five-year-old Kyle, who is without doubt the bravest little boy in Scotland.
He was pronounced “dead” in the womb, but after an emergency Caesarean section he fought tenaciously to live. He’s had dozens of major operations involving pioneering surgery and has spent three years of his life in The Royal Hospital For Sick Children, at Yorkhill in Glasgow.
He suffers from cerebral palsy, has breathing problems, cannot feed himself and now his neurological systems are shutting down one by one.
Last month, his parents were told there is no hope of any more miracles for Kyle.
Now they are sharing these last precious days together in the shelter of Rachel House.
“All we are hoping for is one happy family Christmas together,” says 30-year-old Marie. We know that in this place we can have some privacy just to be with each other.
Feel safe
“We feel safe here because we know Kyle receives the greatest care from the staff, who are so attentive to his every need.
“Thomas and I can’t cope with life in the outside world just now, with all the pressures of the season, but here there is space just to be ourselves. We don’t need to put on a big brave face and that is such a relief.
“Kyle is the light of our lives and that light is going out.
“But we feel at peace here and our son can sense that. We are as close as any three people can be and we are lucky to know such love.”
Marie and Thomas, from Dennistoun, Glasgow,are a couple of rare courage.
They’ve come through so much heartache but it hasn’t made them tough, cynical or full of self-pity. Instead, they say it has been a privilege to be Kyle’s parents because he has brought so much sunshine into their lives.
When they married in 1995 all they longed for was a child.
But Marie suffered from endemetrosis, a disease which affects the lining of the womb and was told it was unlikely she would be able to conceive.
However, after four years of trying, she finally became pregnant.
“We were overjoyed,” said Thomas, “All our dreams had come true”.
Everything was normal until the 39th week, when Marie developed complications and was rushed to the Queen Mother’s Maternity Hospital.There was no doctor available for an emergency Caesarean and she had to wait two hours.
Heartbeat stopped
The baby’s heartbeat stopped. His brain was starved of oxygen and when he was born by surgery doctors told Thomas his son had “died” in the womb, but they were attempting to revive him.
Marie was also seriously ill because of high blood pressure during her pregnancy, which had not been detected.
“I thought I’d lost them both,” said Thomas. But, against all the odds, Kyle, who had developed septicaemia and massive organ failure, astonished the medical staff by pulling through.
Slowly Marie recovered her health, although she had to have a hysterectomy — which means she can’t have more children.
Thomas gave up his job as a slater to care for them both and the family settled down to share all the pleasures of bringing up a baby — his first bath at home, his first smiles at his mobiles and the closeness of night-time feeds and cuddles in bed.
Then at a routine medical they were told Kyle had disconnected cerebral palsy, which is very rare, and his life expectancy was 10 to 20 years.
Kyle’s illness is progressive. Year by year, his functions have gradually deteriorated.
Now he can only breathe thanks to equipment which has been flown in from America just for him and he needs 24-hour attention. But his parents tried to make life as normal and as wonderful as possible.
They took him to the park and the zoo in his wheelchair, lifted him up to the trees to catch conkers and let him hold spiders, which fascinate him. Kyle went to nursery where he loved sharing in the fun with the other children.
“He’s a very happy child who loves mischief. If someone drops something, he laughs,” says his dad.
Sense of humour
“He has a wicked sense of humour and we think that’s what’s helped keep him going.
“He’s also very wise. He has taught us how to be patient, how to be strong and how to have fun.”
Over three years Kyle has had dozens of groundbreaking operations to try to correct his breathing and his feeding. His mum and dad have learned to resuscitate him and they stayed in Yorkhill Hospital with him constantly throughout all his treatments.
Kyle gets very depressed in hospital, but in the past year they’ve been making visits as a family to Rachel House and have come to see it as their second home.
“Sadly, the time we thought we were going to have with our son has been reduced. We are tip-toeing through Christmas and every day with him is a bonus. But Rachel House — the place where Kyle is happiest — is where we want to be. We can feel the love which is all around us.”
Six other families are spending Christmas at the hospice. There’s to be a big party with turkey and all the trimmings. Santa will visit.
Warmth and joy
There is warmth and joy and a lot of laughter in Rachel House — the place where, away from the shopping malls and the cash registers, the spirit of Christmas is more real than anywhere else on earth.
In all my years as a journalist, I’ve never been more moved by any story.
Children like Kyle are the reason we launched our appeal — and the reason we will go on working, with your help, to raise money to build a much-needed second hospice. |
You can e-mail us at:
hospice@sundaypost.com
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The love shared by Thomas, Marie and Kyle shines through in this happy picture.
