OUR WAR BABY
Joy of amputee Scots soldier and his nurse
A DOUBLE amputee Scots war hero has had a son with the nurse who helped save his life.
Davie Birrell, 33, lost both legs while serving with the Black Watch in Afghanistan in 2010.
He subsequently fell in love with Mary Parkinson, who treated him at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
On Monday, the 37-year-old gave birth to Ethan Richard Alan at the hospital. He weighed 6lb 14oz and Mr Birrell told the Daily Record: ‘Mary has done an amazing job. We are so in love and I am so proud of her. Ethan is such a wee bundle of joy.
‘I’m off work until next week and will get to spend some time with Mary and my new son. He has been very good and has only cried once.
‘We are planning to get married but that’s been put on hold because Ethan made an appearance.’
Mr Birrell, of Methil, Fife, was on patrol in Sangin when his interpreter stood on a pressure pad, setting off an improvised explosive device.
The young corporal was forced to inject himself with morphine and make a tourniquet for his left leg as the Taliban started shooting. He returned fire and tried to move as he waited for his comrades to assist him.
But the former Army boxing champion says his biggest achievement was wooing and winning Miss Parkinson.
He added: ‘She was there for me when I first got injured. We were both with other people at that time but we met again in October 2017 when we were both single and hit it off.’
Father-of-four Mr Birrell now aims to be the first double amputee driver in the prestigious Le Mans 24 Hours.
In 2017, he told Formula 4 star Billy Monger after the then 17-year-old had to undergo a double amputation: ‘Don’t think your life is over.’
Last year, Monger was awarded the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Helen Rollason Award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.
‘Ethan is such a wee bundle of joy’