Baby named after nurse who 'treated her as her own' during 12-week NICU stay

Marnie Adam is now a happy and healthy three-year-old, but her parents have told of the 'darkest days' they faced after she was airlifted to the neonatal unit in Glasgow

A couple have revealed how they named their three-year-old daughter after a nurse who showed extraordinary kindness during their baby's 12-week stay at Glasgow Children's Hospital.

Marnie Adam's parents, Rachel Bizarion and Scott Adam, have spoken out about the nurse who went above and beyond to care for their little girl. Marnie was born at 39 weeks in Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, but was rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow. It was there that she met the nurse who would become her namesake.

Rachel recalled: "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 two months of her existence, Marnie called the NICU in Glasgow her home. In those early days, she bravely faced three major heart surgeries and a trio of significant ENT procedures, reports Glasgow Live. After her stint in the NICU, Marnie spent a week in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and another three weeks on Ward 3b before she was able to make the journey back to Raigmore.

Rachel shared: "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."

Marnie McVeigh, a Neonatal Intensive Care Nurse at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow, expressed her joy at the honour.

"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," she said.

"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."