I thought my son was having a tantrum but he was trapped in his own body

Sam before he was ill

Hannah and Wayne Bachelor had just had a perfect Christmas with their one year old son Sam. He’d been so excited but now it was back to the humdrum of life and Sam had picked up a chest infection.
The GP gave him antibiotics, told Hannah not to worry. But next morning she lifted him out of bed and stood him on the floor, he collapsed and started to scream. Typical toddler temper tantrum, so she ignored the screams picked him up and stood him up, again he collapsed and started screaming again. Finally she left him there, expecting him to follow her – but nothing, he was sprawled on the floor screaming.


Sam in ITU

 Her blood ran cold and Wayne drove them straight to A&E. To start with doctors told her there was nothing wrong, she was a hysterical mum. Hannah refused to budge and waited all day to see a paediatrician. He realised Hannah was right. Sam was transferred to a neurology unit, more tests were carried out and doctors realised he had Guillain Barre Syndrome – an illness that locks the sufferer in their paralysed body.
Over the next few days Hannah and Wayne watched helpless as the paralysis spread across their baby’s body. He was in so much pain he couldn’t be touched – they couldn’t even cuddle him.
He was soon in ITU being kept alive by machines. Doctors washed his blood five times to try to beat the virus but it wasn’t until two weeks later that the little boy finally wiggled his finger.
He suffered allergic reactions to medication, his lungs collapsed and even when he was able to move again he still needed a tracheotomy as his throat had been damaged by being intubated so many times.
Sam was in hospital for three months but even when he was released he still had his tracheotomy. Everything doctors tried failed, they inflated tiny balloons in his wind pipe, operated to remove scar tissue. But Sam simply couldn’t breathe.
Finally on September 13th they operated again using part of his own rib to keep his airways open for good.
Now Sam is back at home breathing unaided and talking like any other two year old – their ordeal is finally over.



Hannah & Wayne

  Hannah, who’s 31, said: “Sam’s been a real fighter but at one point doctors thought he would never be able to breathe normally again. It’s funny to think that a bit of his own rib means he can lead a normal life.” 

Sam just before his tracheoctomy was removed this month