Edinburgh baby given just one day to live switches on hospital Christmas lights for first birthday

A baby who defied odds after being given just one day to live has switched on the Christmas lights at the hospital where he spent most of the first year of his life.

Little Hector Tully was born at just 23 weeks on November 12, 2021, weighing less than a bag of sugar at 655 grams. Hector who just celebrated his first birthday has spent 259 nights of his short life in hospital. The tot has a bleed on his brain, chronic lung disease, retinopathy, and a feeding tube. Alongside his proud parents Marie-Clare and Angus Tully, Hector pressed the big red button to light up the 20ft tree and surrounding area of the hospital which has cared for him since birth.

Staff and patients were there to cheer him on, including nurses who cared for the baby while he was in hospital. Marie-Claire said: “When Hector was born, we were told he would only be with us for a day or two and that we should prepare to say our goodbyes. For the first two months of his life, we were just focusing on getting to breakfast, then lunch, then dinner – praying he would survive.

“He spent 161 days in the Simpsons Neonatal Unit, then 98 days at the RHCYP, during which time he had 15 operations. Although we were able to take him home in September, we’ve had at least 25 A&E visits since then.”

Hector with Marie-Clare and Angus

Marie-Clare and Angus will always be grateful for the care and support they have received from the Simpsons Neonatal Unit and the RHCYP, as well as from Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC). The family is supporting ECHC’s new Christmas appeal, which asks supporters to help bring magic to seriously ill children and families in hospital this December.

Marie-Clare said: “The care and love we have been shown by everyone at the RHCYP has been outstanding. It’s thanks to everyone there that Hector is here with us this Christmas. Speaking of his time at the hospital, his mum recalled: “Hector loved when the people from the charity would visit to dance, sing and do Baby Sensory with him. One of the first times we saw him laughing was during a charity show, which was really special.

“It’s hard to imagine that this time one year ago we were standing by his cot in the neonatal unit, not knowing if he would survive the night. We decided at the beginning that even if we only had one day, 11 days or 111 days with him, we would make sure they were the very best days. It hasn’t been easy, but it has been the best year of our lives because Hector’s here.”

The Christmas Light Switch On is just one of many hospital activities that ECHC has planned to make Christmas as magical as possible for children who are too unwell to spend it at home this year.

Pippa Johnston, director at ECHC, said: “We would like to say an enormous thank you to Hector and his wonderful family for helping to make the hospital’s Christmas light switch on so memorable. They are a remarkable family and Hector is a hero in every sense of the word.

“Every year, in partnership with our friends at NHS Lothian, ECHC works hard to make time spent in hospital a little bit brighter through our daily fun activities, family support service and hardship fund. At Christmas, this becomes even more vital and we rely solely on donations to do this. Though we can’t stop their pain, we can deliver happiness. We are asking the people of Edinburgh to make Christmas extra special for children in hospital this year.”