Olivia’s story

Your donations fund equipment that helps children go home to their families sooner.

 

Nine-month-old Olivia spent seven months in hospital. One of the things that you our wonderful supporters have recently funded is the essential skills mannequin which is used to provide training to nursing staff. This mannequin also helps train parents to complete training for tracheostomy care so that they can care for their child at home.

 

This mannequin allowed nine-month-old Olivia and her family to go home after seven months in hospital. They were both able to receive training on the mannequin to be able to provide tracheostomy care at home for Olivia.

 

Despite being born at a tiny two-pound one ounce at just 27 weeks after her mum, Amy’s placenta ruptured. Olivia had to overcome all the struggles facing a baby born so prematurely. Olivia was diagnosed with subglottic stenosis, which is a narrowing of the airway in the part of the voice box below the vocal cords (glottis). As well as this Olivia has Laryngomalacia, a common cause of noisy breathing in infants. It happens when a baby’s larynx (or voice box) is soft and floppy. When the baby takes a breath, the part of the larynx above the vocal cords falls in and temporarily blocks the baby’s airway.

 

Olivia was also diagnosed with chronic lung disease which is a respiratory condition that is usually diagnosed in premature babies who need ongoing help and support with their breathing beyond 36 weeks of corrected age.

 

At just two months old little Olivia was transferred to the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales, her third hospital since being born. Olivia spent a further two months in the neonatal intensive care unit until she was transferred to Island Ward for just over a month to continue her recovery.

 

In November last year, when he was just three months old after multiple failed extubations, Olivia needed to have a tracheostomy to improve her quality of life. It is hopeful that doctors will be able to reverse the tracheostomy as she grows. Olivia has surgeries every 4-6 weeks to dilate her windpipe to potentially reverse the tracheostomy.

 

Between Singleton Hospital, Swansea Hospital, and the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital, Olivia had spent the first seven months of her life as an inpatient.

 

Olivia was recently back in for her 10th dilation of her airway, to widen and maintain the opening of her narrowed airway.

 

Amy said: “She is the smiliest baby you will ever meet. Despite everything she’s been through, you would never know, as she just never stops smiling.

 

“Noah’s Ark have been so amazing, we know that when we are here, we will all be looked after. Even though we’ve been home for just two months we receive almost weekly visits to Noah’s Ark to check in with all the teams that care for Olivia.”