“Our newborn caught coronavirus – and survived”
Ellyse Jerome’s baby is one of the youngest patients to beat the deadly bug…
As her tiny baby fought for his life, Ellyse Jerome couldn’t even hold her son, as the five-week-old had been diagnosed with coronavirus. But miraculously, Charlie Jr – who is one of the youngest patients to battle the virus – is now back at home and thriving.
Ellyse, 21, says, “Seeing
Charlie covered in wires and wearing a breathing mask was terrifying. But he battled against the odds and pulled through.”
SPECIALIST CARE
Ellyse, who is diabetic, was just 32 weeks pregnant when her blood sugar levels dropped dangerously low. She was in hospital with her partner, Charlie, 24, when doctors said they had to deliver the baby immediately.
Born eight weeks early via C-section on 7 March, weighing just 4lb 10oz, Charlie Jr stayed in hospital under specialist care until the end of the month.
Ellyse, from Waltham Cross, remembers, “While Charlie was in hospital, we’d watched the news about coronavirus unfold. I’d been told to stay indoors, because experts believed that being diabetic put you at greater risk of developing complications if you caught the virus. We were having food delivered, and we weren’t allowed visitors.
“We thought we were being really careful, but then one day Charlie Jr stopped feeding properly, his eyes were dilated and his breathing became irregular. But because he didn’t have a cough or fever, coronavirus didn’t cross our minds.”
Worried, Ellyse called an ambulance and she travelled with him to hospital – though, because of COVID-19, his dad had to stay at home. In the hospital, Charlie Jr had various tests, including one for coronavirus.
Ellyse, says, “When the test came back positive, I was horrified. We’d heard so many awful stories and now our baby had it.
“Doctors warned me that Charlie might not survive.
I was distraught.”
Charlie was transferred to London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital for specialist care.
Ellyse explains, “He was only allowed one visitor, so I stayed in hospital accommodation nearby. It was so hard not having my partner with me, and he found it stressful not knowing exactly what was happening.
“And because of how contagious the virus is, I couldn’t touch or hold Charlie. He was sedated and given oxygen – all I could do was sit next to him helplessly. Afterwards, I’d go back to an empty hotel room. It was just awful – I cried a lot.”
EBOLA DRUG
After a few days, in an attempt to save Charlie’s life, doctors gave him a drug called remdesivir, which is used to treat Ebola.
Ellyse says, “Signing the consent form was terrifying, as we didn’t know if it would help him or make him worse, but we had to try.
“Luckily, within a few days he was more responsive and looked brighter. And, so long as I was wearing full PPE, including a mask, gloves and gown, I was allowed to hold him. We started to have hope that he could pull through.”
Charlie Jr continued to improve and, after three weeks at Great Ormond Street, he finally tested negative for the virus and was allowed home.
Doctors haven’t been able to confirm whether remdesivir was the true cause of his recovery, but the family credit the drug with saving his life.
Now, Charlie is a happy baby and doctors are pleased with his progress.
Ellyse says, “After being born prematurely and then getting coronavirus, he’s been through so much.
“But we know many people have died because of COVID-19, so we feel incredibly lucky that we got to bring Charlie home.
“We can’t thank the NHS enough. They saved our son’s life.”