A Glasgow schoolgirl, once likened to The Princess and the Pea after being nursed back to health on a tower of mattresses, is leading a charity walk for the hospital that saved her life. Isla Stewart-Lindsay, 13, was born with rare and life-threatening conditions affecting her oesophagus and heart.
As a baby, Isla had a major operation at the former Yorkhill Children's Hospital to connect her oesophagus to her stomach, before undergoing life-saving open heart surgery in 2010. In 2012 the Daily Record told how the tot was raised up on mattresses to accommodate the equipment, including an oxygen pump that relied on gravity, that saved her life.
Isla's mum, Jill Stewart, would read to her, often choosing The Princess and the Pea; about the princess who had to sleep on a pile of mattresses. She underwent a second open heart procedure in 2019 and used the Teddy Hospital at the Royal Hospital for Children, funded by Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity (GCHC), to relieve anxieties surrounding the surgery.
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The young philanthropist has given back to those who cared for her with an incredible 80 hours of volunteering for GCHC. Now Isla is leading the charge at the charity's annual Sponsored Walk and Fun Day.
Fundraisers can choose to walk three or 10 kilometres on Sunday, September 4, with both routes starting and ending in Kelvingrove Park. Proud mum Jill hailed GCHC for their invaluable support over the years.
She told Glasgow Live: “The charity has always been in the background for us, both at Yorkhill and at the Royal Hospital for Children. A lot of the milestones were spent in hospital, so their support was a vital part of making things feel somewhat ‘normal’ for us.
“In 2017, we discovered Isla had to have another heart operation there was a lot of preparation that went into preparing her for the heart surgery. In that, the charity-funded Teddy Hospital was invaluable. She was able to prepare for what was in front of her through structured Play Therapy, using real equipment to learn about her upcoming procedures.
"Even Euan, her brother, had some sessions to understand what his sister was about to go through."
The mum-of-two urges Glaswegians to get involved in the event that has an 'amazing atmosphere'.
She added: "We did the charity’s Sponsored Walk in 2019, just after Isla's heart surgery. We are excited to be involved in it again, it's an amazing atmosphere on the day.
“Seeing the number of lives the charity has touched and all the people that turn up to support them is so humbling.”
Isla's family were trying to overcome a number of other obstacles before Isla's birth and when she was unwell. Isla's conception was a surprise to Jill and her partner Peter, an ex-royal marine, who feared they would struggle to have children as a result of Jill's polycystic ovarian syndrome.
Mentally, Peter was fighting his own battles after being nearly blinded in an explosion in 2006 while working for a security firm in Iraq. His skull was fractured, he lost most of his sight, leaving him registered blind, he’s deaf in one ear and has battled post-traumatic stress and depression.
He said back in 2012: "What I went through was nothing compared to when I saw Isla sick. I could cope with myself but I couldn’t do anything to help Isla and I would have changed places with her in a heartbeat.
“I lost my job and my identity but it’s given me a purpose to look after the kids.”
Meanwhile Jill maintained Isla's tenacity comes from her hero father.
She added: "When Peter saw his wee daughter fighting for her life, he became determined to overcome his own problems to care for her. Isla’s a little fighter and we know she gets her determination from Peter.
"When he was injured, I hoped that would be the only hardship in life and then Isla was born so ill. But you just have to get on with life and we appreciate the small things now.”
The Sponsored Walk and Fun Day is back after three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Becky Swindell, Fundraising and Events manager at GCHC are grateful to all those who support the organisation.
She told Glasgow Live: “We can’t wait to come together with our hospital community for the first time in three years. It’s even more special as this is our 20th year of supporting families from across Scotland who come to our special children’s hospital for care.
“We are excited to see many of our families there on the day to soak in the atmosphere and celebrate 20 incredible years of their support. We’d like to thank all of our generous donors and partners for helping to raise over £41 million since our inception and for the incredible impact this has had on so many families through our charity-funded projects and support services.”
The Sponsored Walk and Fun Day costs £14 to enter for adults, £8 for children aged five to 16 and is free for children under four.
For more information and to sign up click here.
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