£6,000 raised to say thank you for six-week-old's lifesaving care

A grateful family have raised £6,000 to say thank you for the lifesaving care their six-week-old son received at Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

In June 2021, six-week-old Chester Smithson from Mirfield in West Yorkshire suffered a respiratory arrest.

Mum Amy explains: “We had taken Chester to our local hospital three times, but we’d been sent home. One morning he really wasn’t well and my husband was having an MRI scan at the hospital, so we both went with him so I could take Chester to A&E again.

“When we got there and got him out of the car, we pulled his hood back and he was dark blue, bleeding from the nose, foaming at the mouth and not breathing. We ran into hospital screaming ‘my baby’s not breathing.”

After being resuscitated at their local hospital, Chester was ventilated and put into an induced coma. He underwent a CT scan to monitor his brain function and was then transferred to Sheffield Children’s by road with the Embrace Ambulance Service.

The service provides a highly specialist, round-the-clock transport service for critically ill infants and children in the Yorkshire and Humber who require care in another hospital. Chester’s journey took around 45 minutes, with his mum travelling with him in the ambulance.

Amy continues: “It was all such a shock. I have never felt adrenaline like it. It was a perfectly healthy pregnancy, and he was a perfectly healthy baby until this happened. You just go into fight-or-flight mode as a parent, and we had no choice but to fight for him.”

Chester would spend the next three weeks on the Paediatric Critical Care Unit (PCCU) at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, receiving round-the-clock care.

Tests revealed he had contracted three respiratory viruses, RSV positive bronchiolitis, Parainfluenza and Rhinovirus. Chester also suffered from secondary pneumonia and potentially life-threatening collapsed lung, known as pneumothorax.

His care at Sheffield Children’s included being ventilated on two occasions, as well as physio and repetitive bagging and suction to clear his lungs. He also required a blood transfusion before finally being well enough to go home.

Mum Amy continues: “I’d like to say a huge thank you to all the staff at Sheffield Children’s Hospital for saving our little boy, you are all amazing. From the doctors to the advanced clinical practice nurses, they were all incredible.”

To say thank you for his care, Chester’s family and friends have dedicated themselves to fundraising for The Children’s Hospital Charity. They held a festival-themed 1^st birthday party, ‘ChestFest’, for Chester, which around 70 people attended, as well as a sponsored bike ride and a raffle.

Mum Amy adds: “The events were great! It was lovely to see people coming together to raise money for such a special cause. My stepdad and his friend did a coast-to-coast bike ride, while we had some amazing raffle prizes, including microblading, a bespoke Couture gown which was made to measure, and a 6-month martial art membership.”

In total, the fundraising in Chester’s honour raised an incredible £6,000 for Sheffield Children’s, with plans to further increase the total with more events next year.

Amy said: “I never expected to raise that much and I’m really proud. I’d like to thank everyone who donated and my family, especially my mum who was amazing throughout.

“It is the only thing we can do to thank the hospital and staff for saving Chester’s life. Without them, he wouldn’t be here. I’m really looking forward to telling him all about it when he’s older and I know that Chester will want to carry on raising money.

“He is such a special little boy, the happiest little soul. I’m sure he knows what’s happened and is just happy to be here.

“We have another challenge coming up in May 2023. Myself, my husband and a group of ex-soldiers that he served with are hoping to walk the National Three Peaks in 24 hours.”

To find out more about the appeal to build a new Helipad at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, please click here.