The fight to save Jenson
Jun 26 2008 by Paul Loraine, The Journal
A COUPLE who twice had to resuscitate their baby boy when his airway collapsed last night told of their battle to save their son.
Steve and Angela Carter spoke out in support of the Puffin Appeal, which aims to improve services for young people at Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary (RVI).
Jenson Carter, now aged 17 months, was diagnosed before birth with oesophaegal atresia and pulmonary atresia – meaning he had a gap in his oesophagus and one of the arteries in his heart was not properly formed.
He has also suffered from tracheomalicia, which left his airway prone to collapse because of a lack of strong muscle in a section of it.
His parents, of Devonshire Road, Belmont, Durham, twice had to resuscitate him in the space of two weeks last June.
“It was terrifying,” said Steve, 32, a duty manager at Sainsbury’s.
“We thought he was going to die. We rang 999 and the ambulance took two or three minutes to get here but it felt like an eternity.”
Aside from these episodes, Jenson has been in and out of hospitals since birth and has had four operations – one on his oesophagus, one on his stomach and two on his heart.
He has also been fitted with a tracheostomy tube which supports his airway and a gastrostomy button through which he can be fed directly into his stomach.
Steve said the Puffin Appeal, which is aiming to raise £2m for a new children’s respiratory department at the RVI, could make a big difference to the lives of countless youngsters.
“There are so many speciality units in Newcastle hospitals,” he said.
“But a childhood respiratory department is probably the one thing that they don’t have at the moment – not to the standard required for a hospital like the RVI. It needs the money spent on it – we need that facility.”
His wife Angela, 28, an HR adviser, said: “I think from our perspective we feel we have been so lucky to have the support of such fantastic doctors at the RVI.
“There are so many children with respiratory conditions that we want to raise awareness of the Puffin Appeal.
“The money would mean the service that’s provided can be opened up to a wider range of people.
“I can’t even describe the service they give. We’ve got a very happy, smiley boy now and we think that service should be available to anyone who needs it.”
