Newtonmore mother praises Highlands health care for severely disabled young daughter

A new mum is full of praise for the care her disabled daughter has received after being warned by medics in London that re-locating to the Highlands could create additional problems.

Grace Dennison White, husband Tom and 19-month-old Evelyn are settling into life at home on Newtonmore’s Main Street having endured an emotional rollercoaster following her arrival.

Evelyn was born late by emergency caesarean section after a normal pregnancy, and suffered brain damage caused by oxygen deprivation and limited blood flow.

She has since been diagnosed with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, is severely visually and hearing impaired, and has to be tube-fed.

Grace told the Strathy: “We were initially very unsure about setting up here as a lot of people in London were asking us: ‘Are you sure you want to go up there?’...

“A lot of the people caring for Evelyn in London had doubts about why we would want to move here to somewhere semi-remote. But we were at a stage where we felt a bit more comfortable with Evelyn.

“We also made sure we met with as many people online prior to moving and that re-affirmed we were going to be okay and the local health service had everything we needed.

“We have now pretty much tested out every service. The ambulance gets Evelyn into hospital absolutely fine and we know she can be helicoptered in the event of a serious emergency. We have been fine and everything is in place that we need.

“In fact I would say it is better in some ways than in London: appointments are quicker; there is more funding for equipment for Evelyn. I guess the bonus of a small population means it is easier to get things sorted.”

Grace added: “And when we are having tough days we just look outside the window and it is phenomenal. I sometimes can’t believe where we are.”

The PE teacher is now a full-time carer for her daughter while Tom is looking for work in the social media and content creation sector.

On Evelyn’s condition, Grace said: “Everything that could be affected is pretty much affected. It was only when we came back to the UK we found out more and more about her condition...”

The couple had worked for four years at the British International School of Cairo and had planned to return until Evelyn’s birth at the city’s main hospital in April 2020 completely changed their lives.

Grace said: “We came back to the UK with just three bags thinking we were returning to Egypt but the more we learnt about her condition the more we realised this was no longer possible.”

The couple had fallen in love with the strath on holidays and bought their Newtonmore home as a base for UK trips and their belongings. They arrived mid-June from their temporary home in London.

Eveyln was transferred the 570 miles by air from Central London to Inverness’ Raigmore Hospital.

At four hours, it was the furthest flight ever made by the Children’s Air Ambulance.

Grace said: “It was a long journey for Evelyn as she was in a flat position all the way which was not great for her but she did okay.

“We were flown to Raigmore Hospital and spent five days there as doctors did not want to send her home until we had oxygen and her feeding supplies delivered to the house and they wanted to monitor her after the flight.

“It meant we also got to meet some of her doctors which was really good. They now know her normal condition as opposed to her being rushed-in in an emergency.”

The couple are very thankful to the Children’s Air Ambulance.

“It is an amazing charity,” said Grace. “It receives no government funding and relies totally on donations and fundraising to pay for each transfer costing £3,500.”

The family are now settling into their new life and the ups and downs it brings.

“Evelyn has tough days,” said Grace. “She struggles because she can not really communicate with us and can not move for herself. She has a lot of barriers to overcome...

“But she loves a cuddle. Evelyn can not smile and show she is happy but we know when she is content because she is calm and quiet.

“Recently she has been able to start communicating with us through raising her arms.

“It is something we have been working on and she is getting the hang of it so she will raise her arms to say she wants more of something.

“She could do this for ages... it is seeing these inch-stones as opposed to milestones that she is developing. It is very slow but lovely to see and we are really looking forward to our first Christmas in our new home.”

Louise Bussell, NHS Highland chief officer for Highland community, thanked the family for sharing their story.

She said: “It’s always appreciated by our teams when they hear that what they do for their patients, and their families, makes a difference.

“We’re proud of the health and social care we deliver across our urban and our remote and rural areas. We will ensure this feedback is passed on to the teams.”

• Read more on the Children's Air Ambulance Service here and donations are always welcome.

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