Enzo Connolly was transferred to Edinburgh – 60 miles from home – after doctors in Dundee discovered a blockage in his bowel.
A ‘frightened’ mum has warned how she was not being taken seriously by doctors before her seriously ill toddler was taken to a hospital 60 miles away for emergency surgery. Danni Connolly, 35, has opened up on her experience after son Enzo, two, required an operation to treat a blocked bowel at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh earlier this month.
Enzo has been in and out of hospital since he was born at 37 weeks when he showed signs of necrotising enterocolitis – a disease where part of the intestines becomes inflamed, damaged or dies. He was also diagnosed with sacral agenesis – a rare congenital disorder which affects the lower spine. In Enzo’s case, he is missing the last five bones in his back.
At just two days old, Enzo had his first operation to remove 10cm of his bowel. Two days later, he had his second to create a stoma. The tot also has a blood disorder and mobility issues.
However, when he became ill last month, Danni felt she had to fight to be heard when he wasn’t getting any better.
Speaking to our sister title Edinburgh Live, Danni said: “I had known for about four weeks that something wasn’t right with him. He was pulling at his [stoma] bags when normally he’s perfect with them, screaming in pain and vomiting.
“They wouldn’t do tests, they just palmed me off with stomach bugs or viral infections, until it came to a head the night before his birthday.”
Enzo was admitted to the family’s local hospital in Dundee on Wednesday, March 25 where blood tests showed that his white cell count was extremely high. The blockage in his bowel was then discovered and Enzo was transferred to Edinburgh for surgery.
Danni said: “He was very, very unwell. The surgeon said to me he was glad Enzo came in when he did, because we could have been having an entirely different conversation.
“It was frightening because nobody would listen to me, and I know my son inside out.”
His condition has greatly improved since his surgery but it has still been a difficult time.
Danni said: “It’s hard and draining, even though I’ve been through it all before.
“Seeing him after surgery on Friday with the breathing tube in just gave me flashbacks to when he was in neonatal on a ventilator after he was born. He looked like a doll.”
The Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC) has provided support to Danni throughout Enzo’s stay at the hospital.
Around 3,800 youngsters are admitted to its surgical wards every year – over 10 a day – and the charity aims to make every visit as positive as can be.
This ranges from fun activities and support via youth work, to complementary therapy and time away from clinical settings to spend time as a family.
For Danni, it was a small thing that made the biggest impact. She added: “You just need someone to sit and listen when it’s so mentally draining, and that’s what the charity has helped with.
“What these guys do is just second to none. Although this is very, very stressful, it’s taken some of the stress away knowing someone is there at the end of a phone. The help we’ve been shown is unbelievable.”
The charity is entirely independent from the NHS, and receives no government grants – meaning it is exclusively funded by donations.
Pippa Johnston, Deputy CEO of ECHC, said: “Every single day, 500 seriously ill children face a potentially life-changing hospital visit. And every day, with the help of our supporters, we can make those visits as positive as possible.
“Children tell us that coming to hospital can be frightening. Parents tell us they’re sick with worry; they feel no one else is going through the same. Facing illness, and its impact, can be lonely and isolating.
“Right now, we can only reach 1 in 10 children that come through the doors of the hospital. We want to change this – to reach every family who needs us. But we rely solely on donations to be able to do this.”
More information about the charity can be found here.
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