Family's Lifeline: How a 'Home from Home' Supported Parents Through Baby's Critical Illness
When Carolyn Heptonstall gave birth to her son Oscar White at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, she believed the most challenging part of her pregnancy journey was finally over. Induced at 37 weeks after scans indicated he was small, she reassured herself that once he arrived safely, everything would be perfectly fine. However, within just a few short days, her family's entire world was completely turned upside down by a sudden and severe health crisis.
A Sudden and Terrifying Health Emergency
Oscar initially appeared well following his birth, but he soon developed a distressing grunting sound that led to his urgent admission to the neonatal intensive care unit. Approximately 36 hours later, his condition deteriorated dramatically without warning. Carolyn was instructed to call Oscar's father, Danny White, immediately because medical professionals were uncertain whether their newborn baby would survive the night.
Oscar had suffered a tension pneumothorax, an extremely dangerous condition where trapped air caused his heart and lungs to shift dangerously inside his chest cavity. As specialist transport teams worked urgently to stabilise his fragile condition, the family faced the terrifying prospect of Oscar being transferred more than 60 miles away for treatment because local hospital facilities were completely full.
Critical Care and Repeated Cardiac Arrests
At the very last moment, Leeds General Infirmary was able to admit Oscar directly to their paediatric intensive care unit. Carolyn describes this news as providing an overwhelming sense of relief amidst the chaos. Oscar was immediately ventilated, placed on multiple medications, and fitted with essential chest drains to manage his critical condition.
While his situation initially appeared to stabilise somewhat, this hope proved tragically short-lived. Oscar went into full cardiac arrest and required immediate CPR to revive him. Mere hours later, it happened again, with this second cardiac arrest lasting an agonising 23 minutes before medical teams could restore his heartbeat.
"The fear was absolutely unbearable," Carolyn recalled emotionally. "Every single alarm sound made us jump with terror. We genuinely did not know whether he would survive those long nights. We were terrified to leave his bedside for even a moment, yet equally terrified of what might happen if we weren't constantly present. Meanwhile, at home, our five other children were waiting anxiously for news that we didn't know how to deliver."
Vital Support During the Hospital Stay
Medical professionals warned the family that the extended length of Oscar's cardiac arrests created a high risk of severe brain damage. Although subsequent scans revealed both a stroke and a blood clot, the neurological damage was fortunately not as extensive as initially feared. Oscar continued fighting bravely, baffling clinicians as new complications emerged alongside small but significant signs of gradual improvement.
During this incredibly difficult period, The Sick Children's Trust provided absolutely crucial support to Carolyn and Danny's family at their Eckersley House facility. This 'Home from Home' accommodation, located conveniently near Leeds General Infirmary, offered the family a completely free, warm, and welcoming place to stay just minutes from Oscar's hospital bedside.
For nearly an entire month, Eckersley House became an essential lifeline for the struggling family. It enabled both parents to remain close to Oscar throughout his treatment, while simultaneously allowing their five other children to visit regularly, stay overnight, and spend precious time together as a family unit during the summer holiday period.
"For our six-year-old daughter Ava, this support was especially important," Carolyn explained. "She didn't fully comprehend what was happening medically, only understanding that her baby brother was very poorly indeed. At Eckersley House, she could properly settle, play comfortably, and feel genuinely safe during this traumatic time. It gave us all those precious moments of normality when our daily life felt anything but normal."
The Financial and Emotional Impact of Support
Providing a room for a family like Carolyn and Danny's costs The Sick Children's Trust approximately £40 per night. Without this vital charitable support, the family confirms they would have faced impossible choices including:
- Travelling exhausting long distances daily
- Sleeping in uncomfortable hospital corridors
- Being painfully separated when they needed each other most
After six emotionally draining weeks in hospital, Oscar was finally well enough to return home to Castleford in the City of Wakefield. Now thriving remarkably, he continues to attend regular follow-up medical appointments and is successfully meeting all his developmental milestones.
"There was a time when we genuinely didn't know whether we'd ever bring him home safely," Carolyn reflected. "The hospital saved our son's precious life through their medical expertise, and The Sick Children's Trust kept our entire family together through the worst days we will ever face. We will always remain profoundly grateful for both forms of support during our darkest hours."
