A Scottish dad has told of the devastating moment his four-month-old daughter died in hospital and the heart-wrenching four months that led up to it.
Marie McKiddie and fiancé Jordan Baptie were told the unimaginable news that something was wrong with their unborn child Harper's first scan. The frantic pair were promptly sent for specialist prenatal care in Edinburgh.
Harper was born in July 2020 but sadly died in November the same due to complications with her internal organs.
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Two years on from the tragic loss, dad Jordan, 27 and best friend Craig Middleton, 23, both from Perth, are fundraising for the Edinburgh hospital where Harper spent the four months of her life. Thanks to the hero nurses and healthcare workers the family could spend the precious last moments together.
The young family, who also have a ten-year-old son and now a five-month-old 'rainbow' baby, shared how special it was to spend most of little Harper's life by her side.
Despite being 'absolutely heartbroken' when his baby sister died, big brother Jackson, 10, got to feed his sister and create memories that will last forever because of the staff at the hospital.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live dad-of-three Jordan said: "We knew from the first scan that something was wrong. They picked up a defect from outside her stomach so we knew from then the birth would be in Edinburgh.
"My partner Marie gave birth in the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and as soon as she was well enough, around three days later they were both moved to the Sick Kids.
"Within three weeks my daughter Harper was moved from high dependency to the ICU and put on a ventilator. I was working at the time full time, travelling down from Perth every night during the week and staying all weekends."
The dad found it really hard commuting between Perth and Edinburgh but couldn’t afford not to work and knew it was worth it to spend as much time as he could with little Harper. The accommodation the charity provided allowed the family to spend their last moments together.
He continued: "The accommodation the charity helped with was perfect, there was a bed and a kitchen so we could make tea and sleep but most of our time there was spent by her bedside."
"Harper was always on a machine because she couldn’t breathe on her own as her lungs were too small, there were lots of wires and ventilators stuck to her. They were waiting till she was one-year-old and stronger to operate and put her internal organs where they should be but she never made it to one."
Despite being a fighter till the end and the family hoping for a miracle Harper took her last breaths just four months after entering the world. Jordan said: "I lost count of how many infections she had and how many times she really fought and pulled through to the point where she her health would start picking up again but she died two days before she turned four months old."
The amazing hospital staff worked tirelessly providing round the clock care not only to little Harper but the family including big brother Jackson who was eight years-old at the time.
Jordan opened up about the tough circumstances at the time explaining: "I can only imagine how hard it was for my partner Marie, she was getting a lot of the bad news when I was at work and having to relive it again when she told me later because I wasn't there.
"There were restrictions in place due to Covid so only one of us could be by Harper's bedside at a time and both her grandparents on mine and Marie's side only met her once in her life - two days before she died.
"I think the staff knew she wouldn’t make it because by the end they let us in together and let our parents come and meet her. They were so good with Jackson too they would let her big brother feed her which he loved. It was such a shock to him when he found out he was going to be a brother.
"He was so excited but we knew things weren’t going to be great from the start so we had to keep that in mind and make him aware of that. He was over the moon when he got to go in and see her and absolutely heartbroken when she died.
"Although we are from Perth, Edinburgh now holds a special place in our heart and at Harper's funeral - Sunshine on Leith was played."
In April this year the family had a little baby called Hayden - who is known as a rainbow baby which is often what the first baby after a loss is called. Jackson adores his little brother just like he did Harper and the family go all together and visit her grave.
Craig said "I am running a charity raffle to raise money for Edinburgh Children's Hospital in memory of Harper Baptie - the daughter of my best friend.
"Harper was born with difficulties which meant she was required to stay in hospital to allow her the time, under around the clock care, to grow strong enough to be able to receive life saving operations. Unfortunately, after five months, Harper lost her fight.
"As a thank you for the fantastic work they do, we are looking to raise a generous amount for them with our charity raffle.
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There is an extensive list of prizes including: hospitality for two in the Pioneers Lounge at Easter Road, hospitality for four at McDiarmid Park, a four ball at 3 different golf courses including Rosemount, various restaurant vouchers, various bottles of alcohol and more.
The raffle tickets are only £5 and all money goes to the fantastic organisation which many Edinburgh locals will be familiar with. To purchase a ticket you can email craigmiddleton99@gmail.com and find out more about the Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity here.
Fiona Brian, Fundraiser at ECHC, said: “We would like to say an enormous thank you to Craig and Jordan for their phenomenal fundraising. We believe that no one should miss out on the things they love doing because they’re in hospital and their incredible support will help us to bring fun, laughter and distraction to children and young people from the moment they begin their healthcare journey.
“It is only thanks to the generosity of supporters like Craig and Jordan that we are able to continue our vital work. What a wonderful way to honour Harper’s memory.”
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