The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
A school day Ruby was glad just to see
Youngster underwent life-saving operation in March but was back in class for new term
There was one very special little girl among the hundreds who went back to school in Angus yesterday – a day her family feared they would never see.
Ten-year-old Ruby Walker excitedly met her primary six friends at the gates of Hayshead Primary in Arbroath after waving proud mother goodbye.
It was a far cry from the agonising months and years the family spent waiting for a donor to enable the youngster to receive a double lung transplant.
Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at just two weeks old, Ruby suffered a viral infection at seven months, leading to damage to her lungs which left her reliant on oxygen.
She was added to the transplant list in 2016 but her condition deteriorated dramatically towards the end of last year. As the wait for a donor continued, Ruby’s life hung in the balance on Christmas Day, when one of her barely functioning lungs collapsed.
However, on March 28 this year surgeons at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle performed life-saving surgery.
Now settling back at school, Ruby’s new term marked another emotional chapter in her young life.
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It was really emotional as she has wanted to do that for so long. MUM DIANE BOYD
Her mother Diane Boyd said Ruby had been “very excited” about going back to school and to being a “normal child”.
“She was excited about being able to go into the school herself – she wouldn’t let me go in with her,” Ms Boyd said.
“I dropped her off, she met her friends and they walked into the playground together.
“It was really emotional as she has wanted to do that for so long. She is no longer confined to a wheelchair on oxygen.
“Every single day I think somebody has made this possible. Somebody has lost their child.
“Ruby didn’t have much longer left – it saved her life and has given her a quality of life she never had.”
Since the life-saving surgery, she has built up her strength, although she has to attend weekly meetings with her consultants in Newcastle.
As well as looking forward to settling back into school life, Ruby now hopes to learn to swim and ride a bike.
Ruby was not alone in stepping into her school uniform yesterday morning.
A total of 1,229 pupils walked through the school gates for the first time as they started their primary school education.
Angus Council’s children and learning convener Derek Wann said: “I’m delighted to welcome everyone back to the start of a new school year.
“I’d like to extend a warm welcome to all of the new children and their families who are joining us this year.
“We enjoyed a very successful year and we look forward to another fantastic year of learning ahead.”