Miracle as tiny bub brought back to life

THE parents of an “amazing little fighter”, who was lying limp on a table and showing no signs of life, were left stunned by her bravery and the heroic efforts of medical staff who produced a minor miracle.

Allie Hadland was born at the Launceston General Hospital on June 24, a healthy, happy little girl. However, just over a week after returning home, her parents Sophie Banks and Darryn Hadland noticed something strange.

“She stopped feeding, so we took her to hospital not really sure what was wrong with her,” Ms Banks said.

“When we were in the ED she went into cardiac arrest, so it was very lucky we were at the hospital.

“The ‘resus’ team worked on her intensely for about an hour, it was pretty horrific. She came and went.”

Once stable, Allie was transferred to Royal Hobart Hospital’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to undergo tests to work out why her heart malfunctioned. That mystery is yet to be solved.

“We don’t know what’s wrong other than her sodium levels dropped in her kidneys and her potassium levels spiked dangerously,” Ms Banks said.

“Her potassium level was 10 and it’s very rare for an infant of her size to survive that.

“Hobart, Launceston and the Melbourne renal unit are trying to figure out what’s wrong with her still.”

Allie and her parents returned home after two weeks in Hobart, with the little fighter on a salt supplement with regular visits to hospital for monitoring.

Ms Banks said despite her health battle, her daughter remained “happy, animated, alert and lovely”.

She said Allie’s journey had already touched the lives of medical staff at the LGH and RHH.

“We’re very lucky she’s still with us because it all happened very quickly,” Ms Banks said. “She’s definitely an amazing little fighter. The staff did everything they possibly could, she had a great team working on her.

“It’s been very emotional for a lot of people. We’ve had a lot of doctors comment how amazing it was for her to get through.”

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family financially during this period.

Sophie Banks, of Launceston, with her daughter Allie Hadland, and (inset) Allie in hospital after being resuscitated following a cardiac arrest at just a few weeks of age.