‘Little fighter’ Chloe beats sepsis scare
FIGHTING CONDITION TO RAISE AWARENESS
A BABY viewed by millions of people in harrowing footage fighting sepsis now looks a picture of health as she is cradled in her mother’s arms.
Little fighter Chloe Pierce almost died following a battle with the condition.
She went from being healthy and happy to being critically-ill within just four hours.
Mum Katie Goulbourn released harrowing footage of Chloe’s fight against the life-threatening condition to warn other parents this week.
More than 1.5 million people have watched the clip so far. Now 11-week-old Chloe has colour in her cheeks and a smile back on her face after making an amazing recovery.
It has now been more than three weeks since Chloe was discharged from hospital. Katie said her ‘little fighter’ is doing great.
Katie, from Holmes Chapel, said: “Looking at Chloe now, you would never know what an ordeal she has been through.
“It was absolutely horrific seeing her deteriorate so quickly. But even after a few days in hospital she was smiling and playing with her toys.
“Considering how poorly she was, she looks so healthy now. It’s actually a bit of a shock.” Katie, 28, said the response to the clip of Chloe’s symptoms has been ‘overwhelming.’
The mum-of-two added: “The majority of comments on Facebook have been really positive.
“Other parents were saying they never would have suspected it was sepsis. One of the reasons I shared the video in the first place was because I was angry I hadn’t recognised the symptoms.
“I hadn’t even heard of sepsis. It had been a few weeks since she’d been poorly, so it felt like the right time to share the video.”
Katie says if she had known the symptoms she would have been quicker to get help. In a post accompanying the video on Facebook, Katie described her daughter’s ‘grunting noises when breathing,’ ‘struggling to breathe’ and her ‘stomach is being drawn in beneath her ribs as she breathes.’
The mum took the video to send to Chloe’s dad, Tom Pierce, 33, a firefighter with North Wales Fire and Rescue. It was Tom who suggested seeking medical help.
Katie took Chloe to her doctor who then called an ambulance.
She has urged other parents to trust their instincts. Sepsis remains a bigger killer than breast, bowel, prostate cancer and road traffic accidents combined but, with more knowledge of the symptoms, lives could be saved.