Children’s Hospital team ensure special wedding day on ward for poorly baby's parents
A team at Birmingham Children’s Hospital has gone the extra mile to bring a wedding to a ward so the lucky couple could share the occasion with their nine-week-old son.
Amie and Shane Elley, from Quinton, had long had plans in place and were ecstatic to be having an extra special guest, their little boy Rudie, however those changed just a week before walking down the aisle.
Amie, 23, said: “The wedding was planned before I even became pregnant, but a week before, Rudie came into the Children’s Hospital.
“He is such a quiet baby, but he was crying really loudly, he had a scream that I’d never heard before.
“I knew something wasn’t right so I brought him into hospital, which is when he started to have seizures.
“The doctors and nurses said my mother’s instinct was right, if I’d left him, he might not have made it. It was such a scary situation.”
An expert team of neurosurgeons from the city’s specialist paediatric centre carried out an emergency procedure immediately to relieve raised intracranial pressure and set up an external drain from Rudie’s head – something he needed for two weeks.
Over the course of the next 21 days, Rudie had an internal shunt fitted into his brain to further alleviate pressure – one of three surgeries. He also had six different types of x-rays and scans.
Amie said: “When we were in the hospital it was a really hard time, so we thought about cancelling the wedding. The staff convinced us to have it.
“They told us we needed moments of happiness and Rudie was in a stable condition and being cared for. They told us to go for it."
Shane, 24, and Amie, were married at a Halesowen church before rushing back to the hospital’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit to celebrate, along with two friends and their son.
As a surprise for the happy couple, they returned to find Rudie’s bed space had been specially decorated by the nursing team.
Amie said: “The staff were absolutely great. They did so much for us and made it truly a day we’ll never forget. It’s not something they had to do.
“They decorated Rudie’s bedside and even arranged for us to have pictures in the hospital chapel.
“Unfortunately, Rudie wasn’t well enough to come off the ward but they sorted it for us to go to his bed instead.”
Thankfully, things are looking positive for Rudie, who has been through so much during his short life so far.
He is now working towards his recovery on the hospital’s neurology ward and the plan is for him to return home with mum and dad next week.
Amie said: “He is doing really well. He is really alert and his vision is coming back.
“The hospital’s Family Liaison Team have been amazing helping us with accommodation and advice.
“I’d like to say thank you to all the staff who have supported us. They’ve been really amazing, not just with him, but with us as well. They literally saved his life.”
