Staff at Vale of Leven Hospital have been praised for their kindness after helping a Balloch man celebrate his wedding with his mother, who had been hospitalized following a stroke eight weeks before the big day.
Special Celebration Arranged
Alan McDougall, 63, married Sarah on May 28 at Cameron House, but his mother Marion was unable to attend as she was recovering from a stroke at the hospital. Determined to include her, Alan contacted the hospital staff, who arranged a special gathering the next day.
The staff and patients at Lomond Ward and Ward 15 at the Alexandria hospital were happy to help. Family members joined Alan and Sarah in the hospital’s TV room the following day to celebrate the marriage and share wedding cake.
Mother's Delight
Marion, who worked for the Lennox Herald in the 1950s as a clerkess proof-reading editions, was delighted to be part of the celebration. Alan, a former GP at Clydebank Health Centre, said: "My mum was set to be sitting beside me for the day, but obviously that couldn’t happen following the stroke, so it was then on to thinking about how to involve her across the weekend."
He added: "The staff at the hospital were so great in setting up the room, getting my mum dressed and into a chair and then her minister from Lomond Parish Church, Eddie Mubengo, did a little prayer. It was just a lovely day all round, there was a lot of family there to celebrate and there were two tiers of the cake, so that was cut up and enjoyed by the staff and the patients across the hospital."
Extra Mile
Despite being short-staffed that day, the hospital team went above and beyond. Alan noted: "Everyone involved at the hospital was just so kind with us, they were actually short-staffed that day and other places probably would have said they were too busy and too many people to look after - but they all went the extra mile and made it special for all of us."
