Christmas miracle for Worksop family whose baby needed life saving surgery

Brave Theo has endured two operations, one at just 16 hours old, and several hospital stints in intensive care in his short life but after an uphill battle the family are now counting their blessings and preparing to celebrate his first Christmas at home.

Mum Laura Bamborough has credited The Sick Children’s Trust with helping them get through the darkest days by giving them accommodation near the hospital at a time when they needed it the most.

During Laura's 20 week scan it was discovered that her baby boy, Theo, had spina bifida which was later confirmed as Myelomeningocele – one of the most severe forms of spina bifida.

When Theo was born he had a cyst on his back and his spine and nerves exposed. He underwent major surgery at just 16 hours old to close the gap in his back and was then taken to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Sheffield Children's Hospital to recover.

Two weeks later, a CT scan on his head revealed he also had an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid deep within the brain. Getting that diagnosis early was crucial, and Theo had another surgery, to fit a VP shunt to drain the fluid.

The Sick Children's Trust provided the family with accommodation at Magnolia House, linked to the ward by a corridor, meaning they were just minutes away from their baby.

Laura from Carlton in Lindrick said: “Theo spent three weeks on the NICU recovering. Because we live over an hour away from Sheffield, The Sick Children’s Trust supported my partner, Jak, and me with a place to stay at Magnolia House.

"Having that ‘Home from Home’ made such a difference to us. Not only did we have a place to stay close to the hospital, we also had somewhere to rest during the long days on the ward. Some days I spent 14 hours by his side, which was exhausting while recovering from a C-section.

“Theo needed care every three hours. Knowing the nurses where there meant I could return to Magnolia House for a short rest before going back for his feeds.

"Without the support of the ‘Home from Home’ we would have spent all our time worrying whenever we had to step away. And staying in a hotel, which we could not afford, would have made the situation impossible. With Magnolia House just a corridor away, a huge weight was lifted from our shoulders.”

Theo recovered well from his surgeries and after three weeks he was able to go home. However a month later he became seriously unwell with an infection so the family found themselves back at Sheffield Children's Hospital.

Laura and Jak were once again supported by The Sick Children's Trust at another of it's 'Homes from Home' called Treetop House, located within the hospital they were never more that a two minute walk from Theo's hospital bed.

Laura said: “Thanks to the support of The Sick Children’s Trust, the whole situation was much more bearable and made sure we could give Theo the best possible care.”

After five days in hospital Theo returned home where he has been doing really well. While he continues to need treatment for talipes and hip dysplasia the family are now looking forward to celebrating his first Christmas.

"We’re really looking forward to celebrating his first Christmas. We’ve made plans to see all the family, and have multiple Christmas dinners. He’ll be absolutely spoilt with presents, no doubt! We’ve already taken him to see Santa and Christmas lights, and with so much planned in the lead up to 25th December, it’s going to be very special.

“Amid the celebrations, we’ll be taking a moment to think about the families who will be staying in The Sick Children’s Trust’s ‘Homes from Home’ this Christmas while their children are seriously ill in hospital. Anything you can give to help the charity support more families over the festive period will make a real difference.”

To find out more about The Sick Children's Trust and how you can support them visit https://www.sickchildrenstrust.org/