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Jayden melts hearts wherever he goes with his cheeky smile and bubbly personality. The fearless youngster has been fighting life and death battles since day one, defying expectations every step of the way. Mum Sarah shares their story, explaining how Bluebell Wood has changed their lives:

“I was over the moon to be pregnant with Jayden, and it all started off well. But then at each scan we kept getting more bad news until doctors discovered he had a serious brain condition called Hydrocephalus.”

The devastating news was only the beginning, with doctors telling Sarah that Jayden might not survive birth.

“I felt completely numb, like the whole ground had just opened up and swallowed me. I didn’t know what to do.”

After a deeply worrying six-week stay in hospital, Sarah gave birth to Jayden. But her happiness was short-lived, with the new-born rushed to a Special Care Unit after doctors discovered a cleft palate and a dilated artery in his heart. 

A further three weeks in hospital followed, the first of many heart-wrenching stays culminating in Jayden spending almost a year away from home.

“They didn’t think he’d make it to the age of three. Now the doctor says let’s get him to fifteen. Initially I was told he’d never talk, sit up or move around.  He’s now verbal, sitting up on his own and bum-shuffling. He never fails to amaze me.”

The brave youngster continues to defy doctor’s expectations, surviving emergency heart surgery and various other operations, despite also being diagnosed with a rare life-limiting condition called Loeys-Dietz syndrome.

Meeting Jayden’s complex needs took its toll on Sarah, and a difficult period for the family led her to Bluebell Wood.

“It was daunting at first but once the care team explained the respite care on offer, I felt much more at ease.”

Since that first visit, she’s never looked back.

“Bluebell Wood has really changed my life – it’s made me a better person. It’s made such a difference to both of our lives. 

“Jayden absolutely loves it. I ask him if he wants to go on holiday to Bluebell and he gets excited and shouts: holiday – Bluebell!

“I know he’s always in safe hands when he’s there. The only time I can truly relax and be myself is when we’re at Bluebell Wood. Before I was the only person who was really trained to care for him.”

Jayden, who likes nothing more than to play and sing, has found plenty to keep himself amused.

“He loves everything about Bluebell Wood. The staff are all absolutely brilliant with him and he’s always blowing them kisses. The staff there often say to me – he’s just so happy. He really has melted everyone’s heart.

“He really likes to play and sing too so he loves his music therapy session each week.”

For Sarah, it’s about making the most of every single moment they have together.

“He’s going to have a lot of questions when he’s older but I just want him to enjoy his life while he can, because you never know what’s around the corner.

“That’s what Bluebell Wood gives us, the chance to be ourselves and enjoy life.”

Chris and I are both used to coping with varying levels of stress, but we found ourselves thrown into a special care environment miles away from home and we felt incredibly scared, lonely and isolated

MALIKA, HARRIET'S MUM

After the unexpected birth of their first child by emergency C-section five weeks early, Malika and Chris Smith say they were “very traumatised” and far from their family support network.

Baby Harriet was born after Malika started haemorrhaging while away on a weekend spa break with Chris. The couple were enjoying some time together after being separated during most of the pregnancy due to both their work commitments in the RAF.

Malika had suffered a placental abruption*,which puts mother and baby at risk if left untreated,  and was blue-lighted by land ambulance to Cumberland Infirmary, Carlisle.

Within two hours of arriving, Harriet was born and immediately taken to the Special Care Baby Unit and put on a CPAP machine to help her breathing. She was severely jaundiced – which required phototherapy treatment – and had a heart murmur.

Chris was going back and forth between the Special Care Baby Unit and maternity ward, where Malika was recovering from the emergency C Section and losing 2.5 litres of blood.  It wasn’t until 13 hours later that mother and baby were reunited.

“Chris and I are both used to coping with varying levels of stress, but we found ourselves thrown into a special care environment miles away from home and we felt incredibly scared, lonely and isolated,” says Malika

After four days Harriet was well enough to be transported to a Special Care Baby Unit at Harrogate District Hospital – 112 miles away – which was closer to their home in Northallerton.

Chris and Malika were immediately put at ease when the Children’s Air Ambulance and a specialist neo-natal team from Embrace – Yorkshire & Humber Infant & Children’s Transport Service – arrived at Cumberland Infirmary to transfer their daughter.

The helicopter took off from its Oxford base and flew to Barnsley to pick up the Embrace team and then on to Carlisle to meet the couple and Baby Harriet.

Harriet was prepared for the flight back to Harrogate by the Embrace team who then accompanied her on the 45 minute journey between hospitals

“We knew immediately that Harriet was in safe hands. Everyone was fantastic and incredibly supportive during such a distressing period of our lives. The pilots and Embrace team working together were so efficient and professional. They made it OK for us to give our four day old daughter to people we didn’t know. We instantly trusted them and couldn’t fault anything they did for our baby girl.”

“It was the hardest thing to stand watching the helicopter take off and not be able to be with her but we knew she was in safe hands,” says Malika.

Although there is a parent seat on the helicopter, Malika was unable to fly due to the amount of blood she had lost during the operation so Chris drove them the four and half hours straight to Harrogate hospital to reunite them as a new family.

Harriet spent another eight days in the local Special Care Baby Unit – where she received further phototherapy treatment and feeding support through a feeding tube in her nose – before she was well enough to go home. She is now a much loved happy, bubbly 14 week old who has fully settled in at home, surrounded by her family.

“Normal ambulances just aren’t equipped to cater for babies and young children in the same way as the Children’s Air Ambulance. We didn’t know it existed but now, having had first-hand experience of what it does, we fully appreciate what a difference it makes to peoples’ lives. We were lucky that it was available to transfer our daughter and will always be grateful to the team for what they did for our baby girl,” says Malika.

*Placental abruption (abruptio placentae) is an uncommon yet serious complication of pregnancy. The placenta develops in the uterus during pregnancy. It attaches to the wall of the uterus and supplies the baby with nutrients and oxygen.

Placental abruption occurs when the placenta partly or completely separates from the inner wall of the uterus before delivery. This can decrease or block the baby’s supply of oxygen and nutrients and cause heavy bleeding in the mother.

Placental abruption often happens suddenly. Left untreated, it endangers both the mother and the baby..