Angus and Georgie’s Story
Meet Angus and Georgie, who have both spent time at the Highland Children’s Unit (HCU) in Raigmore Hospital. Their parents, Annalise and Brian, wanted to share their story.
The family’s first experience within the HCU was in 2019, after Angus had an asthma attack, resulting in a couple of nights spent in hospital. However, the family live in Skye and traveling back and forth to be with Angus wasn’t an option. With it being the height of summer, accommodation was scarce in Inverness, but thankfully Brian was able to make use of the parent’s accommodation during this time. After a short stay and some changes in his medication, Angus was able to go home and has been fine ever since!
Most recently, Angus’ sister Georgie contracted RSV and a chest infection, leaving her incredibly poorly and having to spend some time in the High Dependency Unit at 5.5 months old. As before, being so far from home was difficult for the family during such a scary time. However, Annalise said, “Everyone really made us feel settled and like a huge family. From the auxiliary’s, nurses, consultants, doctors, domestics, everyone was so lovely and helpful. We were in for the lead up to Christmas, and so Georgie had loads of different visitors and presents whilst she was in, but everyone thought as much about Angus as they did Georgie. Gifting him presents as well. For such a scary and awful time being in, it was made so much better by the amazing people that work there”. We were so pleased to hear that Georgie got the ‘all clear’ in April, and whilst Annalise and Brian were warned she may have a setback, she has been keeping everyone on their toes ever since!
Annalise told us that the family have always been aware of The Archie Foundation and explained “to experience their hard work first hand [at the HCU], was just incredible!”. As a way to say ‘thank you’ for all of the items and amazing treatment that Angus and Georgie received whilst they were in hospital, Annalise and the family decided to host a fundraising afternoon at their local community centre to raise funds for The Archie Foundation. They had an amazing turnout from the local community who came to support their event, and enjoyed the amazing variety of tea, coffee, cake, soup and sandwiches that the family and their friends had prepared. As a result, an amazing total of £1,257 was raised to support our services within healthcare and bereavement right here in the Highlands!
The incredible support didn’t stop there, as Annalise decided to sign up to the River Ness 10k in Inverness on the 29th of September to raise more funds for Archie! In preparation for the race, Annalise set out on 6am training runs during the summer with friends Nix, Helen and Jonathan. We were so glad to hear the hard work paid off, as Annalise crossed the finish line in a fantastic time of 01:01:43 – which she told us was the biggest achievement of her challenge. Georgie also got involved on the day, taking part in the Wee Nessie 800m race, earning her medal too!
As a result of her incredible efforts, Annalise raised a further £1,450 (including Gift Aid) for The Archie Foundation. We are so grateful for the continued support we receive from the family, as they help us to make the difference for babies, children, and families in the Highlands!
