A Derbyshire mum has described the "scary time" her new-born baby was diagnosed with a rare condition and required urgent care. Bekki Heath’s son Luca was born via Caesarean section at Chesterfield Hospital in June 2023, where he remained for eight days.
However, something soon appeared to be wrong with Luca and he was transferred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Bekki, from Chesterfield, said: "Even in the first couple of days at Chesterfield it was clear that something was very wrong.
"In Sheffield a scan identified a possible malrotation of the bowel, meaning it could be twisted and would need an operation. However, during surgery, they discovered that rather than being twisted, Luca’s bowel was blocked and was very close to rupturing. It was a very scary time."
POLL: What's the best thing to do in Derbyshire on a rainy day?
Luca was soon diagnosed with Hirschsprung’s Disease, a rare condition present at birth because of missing nerve cells in the muscles of the colon, affecting only one in every 5,000 newborn babies. When Bekki and her husband Jason arrived in Sheffield, finding a place to stay while Luca was in the hospital had not crossed their minds.
With the hospital being a 40–60-minute drive from their home in Chesterfield and Bekki unable to drive while recovering from major surgery, the couple were thankful when a nurse presented a solution. Bekki added: “She explained that there was a room for us at Magnolia House, a ‘Home from Home’ for families with a seriously ill child in hospital run by The Sick Children’s Trust.
"Jason was shown around by a member of their team and came back to the ward so excited about the place. It really was wonderful, and just minutes away from Luca’s ward. The homely room we were given at Magnolia House had three beds, which meant my three-year-old daughter Isabelle could stay and meet her new baby brother.
"As I hadn’t seen her in over a week, it gave us some very important family bonding time and that meant so much to us. Crucially, it gave us a safe, private space where we could process everything that was happening. I honestly don’t know what we would have done without it.”
During a 15-night stay at Magnolia House, the family was able to stay close to baby Luca while he battled various complications as well as an infection. Luca also needed to learn how to feed, having previously received milk through a direct line into his stomach.
To everyone’s relief, Luca went home for the first time on July 12, 23 days after his birth. While his journey is very much ongoing – he returns to Sheffield Children’s Hospital for twice-monthly check-ups and has two future operations scheduled – the medical staff are delighted with his progress.
To thank the charity for the support her family received in Sheffield, Bekki will be lacing up her running shoes on April 21 to take on the London Marathon and raise vital funds. She said: "It has been a lot of effort to get ready for it, but I’m really excited about it. I’m hoping to raise £2,000 for The Sick Children’s Trust, enough to pay for a family to stay for 50 nights. The fundraising is going well, and I’m so pleased to be able to give something back to them.
“It’s amazing that a place like Magnolia House exists, you never hear of a charity like this until you really need them. As someone who has been in that situation it made everything so much easier, and I cannot thank The Sick Children’s Trust and their wonderful staff enough for being there for us.”
More information about Bekki’s London Marathon challenge can be found on her donation page here. For further information about The Sick Children’s Trust, visit here.
We send out the biggest stories in an email every day. Sign up for the main Derbyshire Live newsletter here
