Overjoyed dad-of-three Derek Campbell is looking forward to a “miracle Christmas” after his baby son was given the all-clear following two heart operations.
And the Blackridge electrician is celebrating like only he knows how with a stunning Christmas fundraising light show to support medical staff who saved his life.
It has been running for the past couple of weekends with three special performances scheduled for Christmas Eve.
Derek and his wife Alana discovered little Cruz (now five months) had a heart defect when they went for their 20-week scan, which “turned their world upside down”.
He said: “We were in two weeks ago for his first check-up and were given the all clear. His heart sounds perfect.
“This has been a really hard year for us. We went in for a routine heart scan in September and he didn’t get home.
“Five days later he got operated on for 11 hours and two weeks after that, he was rushed into intensive care and was operated on again. Hospital staff saved his life.
“There’s nothing that we can do or say that can express our thanks to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
“He’s on some special medication and special milk and will need an operation for a valve replacement when he’s an adult.”
Derek, who has two other children, Nyomi (9) and Jace (7) is looking to raise £4000 from the light display and it will be split three ways.
They family is supporting the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, with the donation going to the cardio ward which looked after Cruz and intensive care where he moved after the surgery.
Also being helped is Ronald McDonald House, where the family were able to stay during Cruz’s treatment.
Added Derek: “We wouldn’t have managed without staying there as we were on hand for Cruz all the time and it saved us having to drive home to Bathgate every night.
“It will be great to have a Christmas as a family at home, it’s like a wee miracle.”
The light show features six songs.
It features six mini-trees, two five-foot trees, a three-metre mega tree which stands two metres off the ground, a Grinch on the roof, Mickey and Minnie and a Squid Game sequence which went viral when a visitor took a video recently and it got close to half a million views.
At Hallloween, Derek raised £4000 for the Zak Scott Braveheart Foundation and last Christmas the same amount was raised for West Lothian charity River Kids.
Derek added: “We ran shows the two weekends before Christmas and then two special shows for Christmas Eve. The Squid Game song is really popular.”
Derek is appealing to people to get fully behind his major fundraiser.
People who would like to help should log on to Westrigg Electrical Services on gofundme.com.
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