Doctors repeatedly told Ellie Stimson her daughter Isla-Rae Burton had a chest infection, however the tot’s condition deteriorated and now she needs major surgery
A young mum has warned other parents to trust their instincts after doctors dismissed her baby’s severe condition as a chest infection FIFTEEN times.
Ellie Stimson, 21, remained persistent each time a doctor — at both her GP practice and at hospital — sent her and little Isla-Rae Burton home over a period of around eight months. Eventually, after the infant was rushed to hospital in an ambulance, it was discovered she had a collapsed lung and she ended up spending six hours on life support.
Now, aged 11 months, Isla-Rae needs major surgery for this and the extremely rare Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation (CPAM) which sees cysts in the lung growing in the womb — again diagnosed after the ambulance call at eight months. About three in 100 people who have not had surgery for their CPAM may get serious complications, such as lung cancer and heart failure, according to the Asthma + Lung UK charity.
Speaking from her home last night in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, Ellie said: “They said it could have been life-threatening and we know from research it’s not survivable if left.
“I think it’s so disgusting the fact that she’s just a baby and that it can be picked up but it wasn’t. They’ve failed her and the thought that we could have lost her breaks my heart. It’s not the kind of mistakes they should be making.”
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Ellie and partner Keiron Burton, 23, became concerned for their daughter when she was constantly wheezing, struggling with breathing and coughing up mucus in the weeks after her birth in February last year.
But doctors allegedly told the couple Isla-Rae “would probably grow out of it” as she seemed a “happy baby.” Ellie and Keiron claim they ended up taking their daughter to a GP seven times and Royal Stoke University Hospital eight times — but were told it was a chest infection and repeatedly discharged.
Ellie, who has had to quit her job as a care assistant to look after Isla-Rae full-time, finally found a breakthrough in October but the diagnosis has rocked the family. Only 1 in 10,000 babies are born with a CPAM, according Asthma + Lung UK.
The mother continued: “We’re very upset and angry that it wasn’t picked up at the start. We knew it was something else… Normally the surgery is done immediately so they’re not left struggling to breathe like this.
“I just don’t understand why we were repeatedly told not to worry when we knew something was wrong. It was really frustrating and upsetting to be ignored. It was horrible and now she needs a major operation.”
Shadowing was allegedly detected on a scan the baby had in May last year, after she was struggling with her breathing and was coughing up mucus. This, Ellie believes, was a sign of the collapsed lung, but went unnoticed by medics until later that year.
Royal Stoke University Hospital says it is communicating with the family to investigate robustly their complaint. The surgery Isla-Rae requires will be carried out at a specialist centre at Birmingham Children’s Hospital but the tot is on a waiting list, and Ellie and Keiron are caring for her full-time until then. In order to do so, Keiron has also had to stop work, which was in grounds maintenance, and the family have launched a GoFundMe to help with living costs. To donate to this, use this link.
Ann-Marie Riley, chief nurse at Royal Stoke University Hospital, said: “We take all concerns raised very seriously and have a robust process in place to investigate concerns and feedback findings to patients and/or their families. We are now in communication with Isla-Rae’s family and will work with them regarding their complaint.”
