Brave Brody is a little miracle
Docs feared tot might never survive emergency surgery
A little boy who was given just a 50/50 chance of surviving surgery when he was a day old is thriving at home with his family.
Brody Findlay was born in November and just hours after birth, his bowel burst open and he needed emergency surgery to save his life.
The little boy also had sepsis and his parents Stephanie and Joseph were warned their baby might not pull through.
Brody was given a stoma and spent three weeks in neonatal intensive care before being moved to the special care unit for a further four weeks.
He was allowed home for Christmas but went back to hospital and underwent a further six operations, one of which was major open surgery to reverse the stoma.
Despite the trauma he has already experienced in his short life, Brody is now back at home with his family and is the “happiest, most content baby”.
A tot born at just 28 weeks who has endured major surgery and sepsis is now thriving at home with his family.
Brody Findlay was born in November and at just a day old his bowel burst open and he needed emergency surgery to save his life.
Brody was given a stoma and spent three weeks in neonatal intensive care before being moved to the special care unit for a further four weeks.
He was allowed home for Christmas but went back to hospital and underwent a further six operations, one of which was major open surgery to reverse the stoma.
His mum Stephanie Slane, who lives in Knightsridge with partner Joseph and Brody’s siblings Mason ( 7), Meia ( 4) and one- year- old Halle, said Brodie is now thriving and is the happiest, most content baby.
Stephanie (27) said: “He was born on November 7 last year, 28 weeks into my pregnancy weighing 3lb 2oz.
“My C- section scar from my daughter who was born in January 2019 was beginning to tear apart so it really was a matter of life or death for us both.
“At one day old we found out Brody had suffered from a spontaneous perforation of his bowel and he had sepsis and needed an emergency lifesaving operation.
“We were then told as Brody was so small and unwell he might not wake from the surgery. Also if he didn’t go for the operation he wouldn’t make it.
“So we had no choice but to wait for four agonising hours to see if our baby boy survived.
“He came back from theatre with a stoma, scary at first but so worth it to have our baby alive healthy.”
Stephanie was delighted when Brody was well enough to go home on Christmas Eve.
However, days later he had to be readmitted as he was suffering from severe vomiting.
He was fed through a machine, which his parents received training for along with training for stoma care.
After a few more weeks of being home Brody had to go to The Royal Hospital for Sick Kids, where he stayed for three months.
And after he had a central line surgically placed he suffered a blood clot and he was back in theatre for more surgery. It was also found he had suffered from hernias, leading to yet another operation.
Stephanie said her little boy is now doing well and, although still being fed through an NG tube overnight, doctors are happy he will be off it within the next couple of months.
She said: “Although Brody will continue to receive constant appointments and observation, his medical team are sure he will grow into a very healthy little boy. He might just continue to be smaller for a little while longer.
“The past eight months have been a constant hell for us. I’ll never forget being asked to sign the consent form acknowledging my baby might not make it.
“I’m just extremely proud of the fight he has put up to join all his family back home.
“Having a baby in hospital is challenging enough, but lockdown made it extremely hard.
“I’m extremely thankful for all of the professionals involved in his care, to the amazing medical team who saved his life and to the incredible nursing team who showered him with love in between our visits.
“It was an extremely hard time, made so much more bearable by the kind-hearted team at ward 3.”
The family raised £600 to buy two iPads for children on the ward and Sky donated another iPad and five iPhones to ward 3.