TWO babies who suffered life-threatening illnesses are on the road to recovery.
Megan French, from Connah’s Quay, was rushed to hospital when she was eight months old and spent five days in a coma.
“We were frantic,” said Megan’s mum, Mel, 38. “She stopped feeding and was losing a lot of weight. It was awful, she wasn’t breathing properly.”
Megan, now 19-months-old, was born with a hole in her heart, which her parents knew about, but doctors had told them they thought it would get better on its own.
But Megan became ill and was referred to Glan Clywd Hospital and then transferred to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, where scans revealed she had a huge leak in her heart. She then underwent open-heart surgery to repair the leak and the hole in her heart.
“To find out there was a massive leak there was such a shock,” said Mel.
“When we found out we were devastated but relieved they’d found it.
“They saved her life, definitely. I’m so thankful she’s here and if it wasn’t for Alder Hey she wouldn’t be here. I owe her life to them.”
Another Deeside baby who has benefited from the Liverpool hospital is nine-month-old Becca Graham, who was born four weeks prematurely at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
Her mum Tracey Lockett, from Garden City, said: “When I delivered her she was bit blue but they said that was because I had delivered her quickly. They took her to the neo natal unit but when I fed her she was going lifeless and blue. They didn’t know at the time she was holding her breath but that’s what she was doing.”
Becca was fed through her nose by a tube but after five days was transferred to Alder Hey.
“It was very stressful,” said Tracey, 36.
“She was there for five weeks and they had to carry out lots of tests, every time she was feeding she was not breathing.”
Doctors eventually found Becca had a condition called severe reflux and by putting thickener in her milk she was able to feed normally.
“It was worrying when she was so young and fragile,” said Tracey. “She still has thickener in her milk but she can eat food and drink juice, we were worried she wouldn’t be able to drink anything.”
Megan and Becca are both still undergoing check ups but are back at home and recovering well.
Both families are now helping to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House, the centre where they stayed during Becca and Megan’s time in hospital. The centre provides free accommodation near Alder Hey for patients’ families.
A fundraising event is being organised by Julie Attridge, a friend of both the families.
“We stayed at Ronald McDonald House for five weeks,” said Mel. “If that place wasn’t there we’d have been camping outside because we couldn’t have afforded to keep travelling there and back and we didn’t want to leave her. It was fabulous.
“I love Julie and her mum Pam to bits for organising this event.”
Tracey, her partner Glen and her son Martin, 17 stayed at the centre when Becca was ill.
She said: “If we didn’t have the support from Ronald McDonald House I don’t know what we would have done, it was a godsend.”
Mrs Attridge said she is hoping to raise as much money as possible through the event.
“I saw how well they looked after the parents of children who were at the hospital and wanted to do something to raise money for them,” she said.
Connah’s Quay town councillor Pam Attridge said: “There’s a lot of people in Deeside who have used the house. For parents it’s a godsend.
“Everyone is welcome to the fundraiser.”
The event, which will feature a disco and raffle, will take place at the Labour Club in Connah’s Quay on Friday, November 18. Tickets are priced £5 and can be bought on the door.