‘Home from home’ will let family be with their little battler baby at Christmas
TWIN SON IN FIGHT FOR LIFE AFTER DEVELOPING SERIOUS BOWEL CONDITION
A COUPLE have told how they feared the worst when their newborn son developed a life-threatening bowel condition.
Adele and Martin Jefferson, who are originally from Huddersfield but now live in Harrogate, have spent the last seven weeks at the bedside of their son, Joshua, who has been undergoing major surgeries at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.
He and his twin brother Edward were born on October 10 at 34 weeks.
They remained in the family’s local hospital for 18 nights before being allowed home to meet their big brother, William.
From that moment, their parents looked forward to showing the boys off to friends and family.
However, just four days later, Joshua stopped feeding.
He was rushed to Harrogate Hospital where his condition deteriorated and his parents were prepared for the worst.
Twelve hours later he was in Sheffield Children’s Hospital fighting for his life and has been there ever since.
In the last seven weeks, he has undergone two major operations on his bowel due to a life-threatening condition called necrotising enterocolitis or NEC, an infection that causes the bowel to die. As a result, he has had to have 30cm of it removed.
During this time Adele and Martin have been supported by The Sick Children’s
Trust at its Magnolia House. The house, which can be accessed via a corridor from the intensive care unit, gives families a warm and comfortable place to stay.
Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the ‘home from home’ has remained open to keep families together.
Adele said: “Magnolia House changed our whole world by allowing us to be by Joshua’s bedside. A baby needs their family, and we could be right there from the beginning with him.
“I don’t know how over these last few weeks we would have been able to be with Joshua and also be there for Edward without it.
“It’s really difficult to put into words how much Magnolia House means to us. We have been so focused on Joshua that we haven’t had a chance to really step back and think about it, but when we do we can see just how much support it has given us.
“Joshua is doing OK but it will be a slow road to recovery, though things are looking upwards sometimes it feels like one step forward and one backwards. But he is making little steps and every step is important.”
Although Joshua will be spending his first Christmas in hospital, he won’t be alone as his parents will be able to be right by his side because of The Sick Children’s Trust.
To say thank you, the couple are supporting the charity’s Together This Christmas appeal, which asks support