Coventry baby embracing ‘life over limb’ after battling sepsis and Strep A
The parents have been sharing how their lives were turned upside down after baby Ritchie became seriously ill.
Last updated 16th Apr 2024
Two parents in Coventry are raising money for a local children's hospital after their 11-month-old had his arm amputated due to Strep A and Sepsis.
Libby Reynolds and George Bowman will be swimming a mile every day for the 53 days that their baby Ritchie was cared for at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.
In March last year, the infant was said to have fallen seriously ill overnight.
Libby, a Secondary School teacher, said: “Ritchie had a sick bug over the weekend, and he seemed to have getting better by Monday. However, on Tuesday he fell ill again. He just wasn't himself; he was really unsettled and lethargic and his breathing had changed.”
The doctors sent Ritchie for an X-ray, where one of his lungs showed as completely white, so he was quickly moved to a high-dependency unit.
The 25-year-old continued: “Within 24 hours, Ritchie was in intensive care. We didn't expect Ritchie to be so seriously ill, it was just the most awful time. Over the next few hours, he declined rapidly and had two cardiac arrests.”
Doctors stabilised Ritchie, who was diagnosed with A, and Adenovirus, which resulted in Ritchie developing sepsis.
As a result of the very aggressive treatment needed to save Ritchie’s life, he had poor profusion in his left arm and considerable debridement on his left leg.
The 11-month-old experienced three cardiac arrests altogether, two seizures, brain damage, and blood clots in his arm which resulted in it being amputated.
His brain damage is said to impact his balance and coordination, fine motor skills, learning and cognition and vision.
The mum-of-one explained: “It was upsetting, but we were just embracing life over limb. We just wanted our little boy to be okay. Everyone there was brilliant, we loved them all. When we were there, we also sat down with a Neurologist who talked us through Ritchie's condition following his illnesses. He received physio at the hospital, and we began to see glimpses of the Ritchie we had before.”
After another six weeks in hospital, Ritchie was ready to go home with support from the Neurology department, where he returns regularly for physio, speech and language, and occupational therapy.
Libby said: “It was absolutely life-changing for us. It was really daunting coming home after so long in the hospital; it felt like the Children's Hospital was our home, so it was many mixed emotions. But thanks to the support from the hospital, Ritchie has come on leaps and bounds and is thriving at home.
“He is moving around so much better and he has surprised us all with how well he is doing and how happy he is after such a traumatic experience.
“There are just no words to describe how grateful we are to the teams. They gave us a second chance. When we were in hospital, we felt so safe there. All the nurses were so lovely and looked after us all so well.”
The parents are also hoping to raise awareness of the signs and complications from Strep A.
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