Our babies wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for our NHS heroes – we’re in their debt
IT's the place no parent-to-be ever expects to end up, but one in eight newborns will spend time in a neonatal unit.
And there - doctors and surgeons work tirelessly to perform lifesaving feats on tiny bodies every single day.
Despite this, it's rare that we get a chance to say thank you to these hard-working neonatal staff who give everything to save little lives on these units.
This is why, in 2017, we launched our Who Cares Wins health awards.
Below are the moving, inspiring stories of our three shortlisted nominees for the best neonatal specialist at tonight's awards.
They include Dr Vesna Pavasovic, a Consultant in Malignant Paediatric Haematology at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital, Professor Massimo Caputo, a surgeon, and Professor Kypros Nicolaides.
The winners will be revealed tonight at a special ceremony.
'Without her we wouldn't have our little baby boy'
WHEN seven-week-old Ralph Griffiths was given just hours to live because of a rare genetic condition, it seemed it would take a miracle to save him.
Fortunately that miracle came in the form of DR VESNA PAVASOVIC, a Consultant in Malignant Paediatric Haematology at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Ralph, from Crawley, West Sussex, was born last December with the life-threatening condition perforin deficiency and familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, where his own immune system attacks his organs.
He was given intensive chemotherapy to try to treat the condition.
Ralph’s mum and dad Claire and Will, nominated the medic for saving their son’s life.
Will said: “Thanks to Vesna and her team Ralph stabilised and the fight began to save his little life.
“With the intensive treatments, including getting Ralph on a trial for a drug not normally given to children, Vesna got Ralph to a place where he was well enough for a bone marrow transplant in July.
“Nothing has been too much trouble for Vesna.
“She comes to see us every day when we’re in hospital and will always reply to an email, no matter how late.
“Her and Ralph are a dream team together, without her we wouldn’t have our little boy.”
Modest Dr Pavasovic believes it is Ralph who deserves the award though.
She said: “Ralph was very little and very ill when we first saw him at around 1am and, by 3am, he’d started on chemotherapy, that’s how seriously ill he was.
“We needed to try and stabilise him but you need to balance disease control and toxicity of treatment which can be hard.
“I was very worried but he’s made such progress and he’s been so lovely to treat.
“I was shocked by the nomination but it’s not just for me, there’s a whole team of doctors and nurses who all played their part too.”
Ten-hour op at just 13 days
ANCA PINTILEI says her seven-month-old daughter Ina Maria would not be alive if it were not for a highly complex surgery carried out by PROFESSOR MASSIMO CAPUTO.
Anca, 34, and husband Sergiu, 36, a taxi driver, took their baby home to Plymouth after she was born in February. But four days later, they found her apparently lifeless in her cot.
Anca said: “She was nearly dead. Paramedics got her breathing again. Scans revealed a heart problem and we were transferred to the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children.
“That’s where we met Massimo.”
Tests showed Ina Maria had a hole in her heart plus transposition of the great arteries, a condition which means the vessels of the heart were back to front.
When she was 13 days old, Prof Caputo carried out the ten-hour surgery which involved three bypasses, reconstructing her aorta and turning the vessels around.
Anca said: “At 5pm, a doctor told us it wasn’t working. But Massimo was going to try one last thing to save her. Whatever he did, it saved her life. Now she’s home, thriving and happy.”
Anca added: “He is Ina’s angel. We are forever grateful to him.”
Professor Caputo, 51, also works with the British Heart Foundation to research better treatments for children.
He travels regularly to countries such as Syria to operate on children who otherwise wouldn’t receive treatment. He said: “We feared Ina Maria wouldn’t make it. To see her healthy is a feeling I can’t describe.”
'He saved me in womb, and baby too'
WHEN Sherrie Sharp’s unborn baby was diagnosed with life-threatening spina bifida, it was her mum Jacqueline who knew just who to turn to – PROFESSOR KYPROS NICOLAIDES, the man who had saved Sherrie’s life when she was in the womb.
When pregnant, Jacqueline, had a rare blood disorder which meant her body fought off the baby, seeing it as a virus.
Prof Nicolaides, 66, gave Jacqueline blood transfusions until Sherrie was born, a procedure which saved her life. So Sherrie, of Horsham, West Sussex, was in no doubt he would be able to help her own unborn child.
She booked an appointment and was instead offered pioneering keyhole surgery – but told it had only been done once before.
Sherrie, 29, said: “It was still an easy decision. I didn’t want my son to grow up and say, ‘Mummy, why can’t I walk?’
“I had the chance to help him.”
Spina bifida is a condition where the baby’s spine and spinal cord don’t develop properly in the womb. It can cause paralysis, incontinence, learning difficulties and hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid on the brain.
Sherrie underwent the op at King’s College Hospital, London, when she was 27 weeks pregnant. She said: “Just four days later, the malformation at the back of his head started to show signs of reversing.”
Just six weeks later, in April of this year, Jaxson was born.
More on the Health Awards 2019
His proud mum added: “His development is wonderful, he’s meeting milestones. Professor Nicolaides has given him a shot at a normal life. I can’t thank him enough.”
Prof Nicolaides said: “Helping babies in the womb has taken over my life. I remembered Sherrie when she told me about her family.
“I’d like to thank her for her courage to take part in this pioneering therapy.”
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