Callan the Brave

When Callan was born, his parents were over the moon with their healthy new baby boy. However, some routine oxygen checks showed irregularities in his breathing which led to Callan requiring multiple open-heart surgeries, and lengthy stays in the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow.

Hear Callan’s story in the words of his Mum, Shona.

Callan's First Few Weeks

“Our journey began at Wishaw General Hospital and after several hours of labour, our surprise baby boy was born, a big bouncing 9 pounder.

We were about to leave the hospital but needed one last check of baby’s oxygen levels. They were low, and after some more tests we were told our baby had a very serious cardiac defect that hadn’t been picked up on my prenatal scans. He was started on a medication to keep him alive, and we were ambulance transferred to Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow. He was diagnosed with Truncus Arteriosus, a rare congenital heart defect. We then decided to name him ‘Callan’ which means ‘brave in battle’.  

Callan had his first open heart surgery at 10 days old. He was in theatre for around 11 hours. The surgery was difficult, but he came through.

“There were times we couldn’t stay with Callan, but the nurses made sure to send us videos through Vcreate which we were always so excited to see.”

shona, callan's mum

There were a few bumps in the road, but exactly two weeks post-surgery, we were able to take him home to meet his family for the first time.

Callan's Hospital Journey

At around 5 months old, a CT scan picked up that Callan had developed a large aneurysm at the end of the artificial shunt in his heart. We were told he would need another open-heart surgery imminently.

Two weeks later, he had his second surgery. The plan was to do his full repair at this point, but some complications occurred, and it was thought it would be safer to leave the hole in his heart open. It was a blow at the time. We knew Callan would need more surgery throughout his life, but we hoped this one may have been the last for some time. 

Post surgery, we started to notice Callan wasn’t moving the left side of his body. After some scans, Callan was diagnosed with having a watershed stroke. He had lost the motor function of his left arm and leg.

“To say we were devastated, doesn’t even come close. We were just learning to manage the heart condition, but this was a whole new set of challenges.”

shona, callan's mum

He has had input from so many specialities, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, haematologists, ophthalmologists, neurologists and cardiologists. It’s a lot for a little guy to have to deal with. But slowly, over time, he began to show us how much of fighter he is, stubborn and determined, and began to get more and more movement back on his left side.  

We knew there would be more to come, and a few months after his 2nd birthday, we got a date for Callan’s third open heart surgery. This time, the team looking after Callan were joined by a professor from Stanford University in America, who assisted during the surgery. We didn’t see him for around 18 hours, the longest yet.

There were a few minor bumps in the road but this time, he recovered remarkably well, and we were able to get him home less than two weeks after his surgery. 

Life After Surgery

“Since this surgery, Callan has been flying. People who meet him, can’t believe how such a happy little boy, has been through so much.”

Shona, Callan's Mum

Until recently, we had weekly support from the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, and we know the team are always at the other end of the phone if we ever need them, which is often! 

Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity provide invaluable support. The Play Team were able to bring us toys, and games, not only to keep Callan amused, but also aid his recovery. We even got to play skittles in the middle of paediatric intensive care!  

We can’t ever put into words the gratitude we have to everyone involved, for saving our son’s life. He has brought so much joy, to so many people, and he has only been able to do that because of them. It’s a debt we will never be able to repay.”

Callan and his parents were a part of our Sponsored Walk 2 years ago and are excited to take on this year’s updated walk- Kami Bear’s Teddy Trail. 

Now, along with new baby sister Connie, the family are all walking the Trail to give back and say thank you for all the help and care they have received.

This year's Kami Bear's Teddy Trail will set off from the iconic Riverside Museum on September 14th, and sign ups are now open!