Scottish Catholic Observer

Peter James McGuire has celebrated a landmark birthday and is preparing for a 100-mile trek in Holland 21 years after his fight for life as a premature baby was reported on the front page of the Scottish Catholic Observer.

In 1990 the SCO story headlined ‘The sugar bag babies’ included news of the ‘miracle baby,’ who had been born just 25 weeks after his conception. He weighed ‘1 pounds 10 ounces’ and was given very little chance of survival by medics.

Twenty-one years on, however, Peter James is leading an active life.

Triumph over trials

Peter and Paula McGuire of Bathgate told the SCO that 21 years ago, one of the great joys was the ‘milestone’ of bringing their son Peter James back to the house for the first time. Now, as his father stated, ‘he is never indoors!’

Despite having cerebral palsy and some learning difficulties, Peter James enjoys an active and healthy life, splitting his time between the local scouts group, his favourite football team, Bathgate Thistle, and many other outdoor activities.

“At the hospital we had been told the worst, and had been expecting the worst, but when Peter James was born he let out a wee cry and I knew immediately that he was going to survive,” Mr McGuire said.

“Whether that would be for one day, one week, one month or one year, we did not know at the time, but we knew he was a fighter.”

As an infant, Peter James was prayed for throughout the world. From the Vatican where a relative, Fr Martin McCleary, was based at the time, to El Salvador, where the family’s parish priest, Fr James Myers, had visited that summer, the tiny baby was in many people’s thoughts and prayers.

Prayers were also being said at the family’s parish of St Joseph’s, Whitburn, and neighbouring parish of St Mary’s, Bathgate, where the McGuires now stay, and many parishioners—who have watched Peter James grow up—tell him that they remember praying for him when he was born a ‘sugar bag baby.’

“It can be quite embarrassing!” Peter James said with a smile.

Abortion legislation

Not only was the birth of Peter James at St John’s Hospital, Livingston, a moment of great joy for the McGuires, it was, as the SCO reported at that time, a birth that exposed ‘the sheer barbarity of Britain’s abortion legislation.’

“Back then, to think that abortions were being carried out just short of the age at which Peter was born, and at some cases up to 28 weeks, showed that what they were aborting were human beings,” Mr McGuire said.

The McGuires told the SCO that their Faith managed to help them through a very difficult period following the birth of their first child, Peter James.

Embracing life

On April 29 this year, as Prince William and Kate Middleton celebrated their marriage at Westminster Abbey, there was a special occasion in Bathgate too, as Peter James celebrated his 21st birthday.

He was happy to share the limelight with the Royal couple and opted to have a ‘nice family celebration’ in the house with his parents, younger brothers, Andrew and Mark, and his younger sister, Heather, all of whom like to keep Peter James in check.

Despite his special needs, Peter James enjoys an active lifestyle and, later this year, he will embark on a 100-mile trek in Holland, where he will travel from the coast, south of Amsterdam, to Den Bosch, camping on the way with three friends.

“It will be tough with his disability and carrying a backpack with all his camping gear and food, but we know he is going to do it,” Mr McGuire said.

Peter James’ involvement and devotion to the Whitburn Scout Group will stand him in good stead for the journey as he has plenty of experience of the camping lifestyle, having been on various adventures with the group, both at home and abroad.

“I have been to France and Denmark before and really enjoy going abroad,” Peter James said.

In addition to his busy schedule with the scouts, Peter James can be found every Saturday following his local football team Bathgate Thistle, where he is a popular figure among the staff.

He is hoping for a better season next year, however, as his side narrowly avoided relegation from the Super League East this season.

Peter James also helps out at Bathgate’s home ground on Friday evenings when it is used by Motherwell FC’s under-19 side. On such occasions, he has had the chance to meet some of the managers from Scottish Premier League sides and has been impressed at their willingness to take time out and have a chat with him.

“Stewart McCall of Motherwell will always come in of his own accord and take time to chat to everyone, as will Gordon Young, the under-19 coach,” Peter James said.

Education and future

Having spent five years at St Joseph’s Primary School, Whitburn, Peter James and his family moved to Bathgate in 2000, where he was then a pupil at the town’s St Mary’s Primary before going on to secondary education at Cedarbank special needs school in Livingston.

This helped Peter James gain a place at West Lothian College where he undertook a special access course to help employment opportunities for young adults with special needs.

From there, Peter James enjoyed work placements at a local hotel and St John’s Hospital in Livingston, where he worked as a porter.

“It was quite ironic as a lot of the staff that had helped look after Peter James when he was transferred to St John’s were still there,” Mr McGuire said.

“So here was this lad coming back to the hospital to work and they were delighted to see him.”

Having the opportunity to help people at the hospital was an experience that Peter James enjoyed hugely and he has been applying for jobs at hospitals since the placement, and hopes one day to work in the caring profession.

“I enjoyed the hospital the best as you got to meet a lot of people every day and it was always new people you were meeting,” Peter James said. “The work changed all the time. I would be doing one thing for an hour and would then be called to help somewhere else. It was very tiring but also very enjoyable.”

Looking back

Looking back at the SCO front page from 21 years ago is something the McGuires like to do as a family from time to time.

“We enjoy looking back and reading the article,” Mr McGuire said. “Every so often we will pull it out and show it to Peter James’ brothers and sisters. Watching him grow up it is great to have these memories. We still remember the times when we were down, however, too, as for the first year of his life, Peter James was only at home for two weeks of the year in total.”

The McGuires remember with great fondness the first time they were able to take Peter James out of the hospital—to a park across the road—and they phoned family and friends to inform them that they would be taking their son out into the open to get fresh air for the first time.

“We took him to a park, just outside St John’s Hospital, and just to take him out into the sunshine on a June day was a great feeling,” Mr McGuire said. “Even though it was just for an hour, many people came to see him.”

The family also treasure the memory of their first Christmas with Peter James—when they found out on Christmas Eve that they would be able to take their son home for two days and spend Christmas Day at home.

Like all of his peers, Peter James may well seem an embarrassed young man when he hears his parents speaking of the fuss that was caused by his early arrival in April 1990, but it is abundantly clear from his strong spirit and determination that the McGuires’ ‘miracle’ baby will be the source of many more great memories for the family in future years.