Emma goes the extra yard to thank nurses for saving her

Published on Wednesday 13 May 2009 09:56

THE tiny scrap of flesh and bones wired up to machines looked so frail and delicate that Rosie Sutherland hardly dared think it might be her newborn daughter.

Fighting for life in intensive care, weighing only 3lb 7oz, three-day-old "baby Sutherland" had been given just a 50-50 chance of pulling through.

New mum Rosie watched in horror, terrified that the birth of her first child might soon be followed by a funeral.

"We didn't even have a name for her," recalls Rosie. "She was so small, the names we'd been thinking of didn't seem to fit her.

"Such a petite wee thing needed a small and delicate name. So we chose Emma."

Little could Rosie and husband Alan imagine that nine years on that fragile infant would turn out to be a determined force of nature.

For when Emma discovered the tale of her early days, she decided to make it her job to thank nurses and doctors for saving her life.

She organised a fundraising event that took over the entire family home and boosted efforts to provide the next generation of special care babies with life-saving equipment.

Today, proud mum Rosie is still reeling from Emma's "yard sale" earlier this month at her Fairmilehead home.

"At one point I looked around and we had 80 strangers in our lounge, dining room and conservatory – with Emma running the whole thing," says Rosie. "She did a fantastic job, but at one point I did have to stop her selling off things like my outdoor lanterns, which she'd put up for sale for 2.50!"

Emma was helped by little sister Kate, six, who provided hair, nails and beauty makeovers for 1.

The result was 500 that will go towards the Simpsons Special Care Babies fund to buy crucial scanner equipment.

Rosie was just 20 weeks pregnant when doctors warned that her blood pressure was worryingly high, putting her at risk of potentially life-threatening eclampsia.

By the time Rosie, now 38, was 33 weeks pregnant, doctors had decided they would have to deliver her baby immediately.

"It was really scary," says Rosie, who runs an events company with Alan, 51. "I actually got up and tried to run away, I didn't want to go through with it."

Emma was rushed to the Simpsons Special Care Babies unit, struggling for breath. When Rosie next saw her, she was wired up to a ventilator. Doctors revealed she had developed a condition known as pneumothorax, where a small air sac in the lung ruptures and air escapes into a space between the lung and the chest wall.

"The consultant sat us down and said she had this condition and they would need to reinflate her lung and stretch it. He said there was a 50-50 chance she wouldn't survive."

Emma pulled through and as her health improved she was able to feed – on a meagre teaspoon of breast milk per day. She spent a further three weeks in hospital before Rosie and Alan were given the all-clear to take her home – still weighing only 4lb 7oz.

"We couldn't get clothes to fit so we went to Jenners for dolls' nappies," laughs Rosie.

It was when the couple showed Emma pictures of her as a baby that she announced she wanted to do something to thank Simpsons staff.

Over the past two years, she has raised funds by selling homemade tablet and toys, but this year's was a much larger effort.

"She was in her element," says Rosie. "But I had to tie things down or she would have sold them."

Emma isn't done yet, however.

"I thought it would be good to raise money because they saved my life," the youngster explains.

"Next time, I'd quite like to do a disco."

Rosie is already determined it won't be in the front room. "I think we can hire a hall," she says. "I don't think I could handle 80 people at a disco in my lounge."

A VITAL TOOL FOR DIAGNOSIS

CONSULTANTS in the neonatal unit at the Simpson Centre for Reproductive Health are hoping to install a new state-of-the-art scanner.

The device visualises the heart and other organs, without using X-rays or disturbing the baby. It will deliver instant diagnosis and results of a baby's condition.

Simpson's already has a similar machine but a new scanner would provide the neonatal unit with its own dedicated equipment. The device costs 80,000.

Gill Martin, secretary of the Simpsons Special Care Babies, said fundraiser Emma Sutherland was an inspiration.

"This will be the third year that Emma has raised money for the charity," she said. "She started fundraising when she was just seven to help other babies and children who were cared for in the unit.

"She is an incredibly thoughtful and generous young girl and we are grateful to everyone who has supported and helped her."