A couple married next to their baby’s hospital bed so she could be a bridesmaid. Karim and Louise Rezaie celebrated their Big Day with their six-month-old daughter Layla who is ᴜɴᴅᴇʀɢᴏɪɴɢ treatment.
The couple, from Torquay, Devon, tied the knot at the hospital on May 21. Staff arranged a wedding blessing to be held in the ward which was dressed in celebratory balloons next to a wedding cake and baby Layla.
Karim, 38, said: “We’d always wanted to get married to Layla our daughter there. It was obviously beautiful with the amount of effort they put in. We initially imagined having the chaplain come down and just do a wedding by the ʙᴇᴅsɪᴅᴇ, but the play team really put the effort in.’
Layla sᴜFFᴇʀs from CHARGE sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ, a ʀᴀɴᴅᴏᴍ ɢᴇɴᴇᴛɪᴄ ᴍᴜᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ that has affected her eating, vision, and heart and other cmplications.
CHARGE sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ is a rare disorder that arises during early fetal development and affects multiple organs systems.
In addition to the CHARGE features above, most children with CHARGE sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ have other features, including characteristic facial features: ᴀsʏᴍᴍᴇᴛʀɪᴄ Fᴀᴄɪᴀʟ ɴᴇʀᴠᴇ ᴘᴀʟsʏ, ᴄʟᴇFᴛ lip or palate, ᴇsᴏᴘʜᴀɢᴇᴀʟ ᴀᴛʀᴇsɪᴀ (ʙʟɪɴᴅ-ending food pipe) or tracheoesophageal fistula (connection between the wind pipe and the food pipe). CHARGE sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ affects multiple organ systems, resulting in multiple problems apparent at birth. Other characteristics of CHARGE sʏɴᴅʀᴏᴍᴇ may not become apparent until later in life.
Karim, a psychological ᴛʜᴇʀᴀᴘɪsᴛ paid tribute to those who had arranged the decorations and music and got in touch with the couple’s relatives.
He said: “The whole day was made very magical. A huge tremendous effort was put in by the playmate workers into arranging decorations and music, getting in touch with our relatives, and getting videos recorded for people who could be there.”
A number of people volunteered on the day, from a professional photographer to a hairstylist. The couple had a beautiful wedding inside the ward, complete with photos, balloons and a cake
He said: “It was a really special day but obviously it was bittersweet. Layla was there, and it was fantastic but we were reminded how poorly she was but it was still great for it to happen. The doctors have said it could take weeks or months before we can take her home.”
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