Couple whose daughter remained in a three week coma praise charity for support

A Hartford couple whose daughter remained in an induced coma for three weeks have praised The Sick Children’s Trust for the invaluable support they were provided.

The Sick Children’s Trust, which supports families with a seriously ill child in hospital, gave Sophie Wright and Daniel Lackey a place to stay when their daughter, Daisy-Mae, was rushed to Addenbrooke’s Hospital earlier this year.

In February, a suspected chest infection turned life-threatening as Daisy-Mae was diagnosed with severe pneumonia, bronchitis, and the rhinovirus. After exhausting all their resources, Hinchingbrooke Hospital transferred Daisy-Mae to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, where she remained for three weeks undergoing intense treatment to remove mucus from her lungs. During this time, Sophie, Daniel and their son, Oscar, were given a place to stay at The Sick Children’s Trust’s Acorn House. The charity, which receives no government funding, runs Acorn House alongside nine others across the county to keep families together when their child is in hospital. Sophie said:

“After five days at Hinchingbrooke, Daisy-Mae started to slip away from us and was sent to Cambridge. In the centre of this whirlwind, we were told about Acorn House run by The Sick Children’s Trust. Daisy-Mae was in a coma for three weeks and every day felt incredibly long. Acorn House broke up these long days as it was a place to sleep, make food, build our strength and somewhere our son, Oscar, could come and stay so we weren’t apart from him.

“Daisy-Mae was given intravenous antibiotics while paralysed in order to give her body a chance to fight the illness. She also underwent regular physiotherapy to help bring up all the sticky horrible mucus that was on her lungs. This mucus was blocking and plugging the entry to her left lung which eventually caused it to collapse.

“Acorn House was a godsend during this time as I was so worried about Daisy-Mae that I needed to speak to someone who understood. I remember arriving having had no sleep and feeling scared. Everything was so daunting but there was a lady staying there, whose daughter was on the ward, who was so welcoming. She offered to support me whenever I needed it, all I had to do was knock on her door for a chat. Speaking to a parent going through a similar situation really helped me and Daniel.”

Daisy-Mae’s condition continued to deteriorate so she was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital for further treatment. Thankfully, the two year old made a full recovery and is now doing really well.

During these unprecedented and uncertain times, The Sick Children’s Trust has continued to support families, like Daisy-Mae’s, with a place to stay close to their child. It costs £2.2 million to run The Sick Children’s Trust’s ten ‘Homes from Home’ across the country and the charity relies entirely on voluntary donations to meet this cost. Jane Featherstone, Chief Executive at The Sick Children’s Trust, said:

“Our ‘Homes from Home’ help ease some of the concerns families experience when their child is in hospital by giving them a place to stay.

“It is a worrying and uncertain time for everyone and there are many challenges we are all facing but for families with seriously ill child in hospital there is even more worry and uncertainty. This is why we need your support.”

To donate to The Sick Children’s Trust, visit sickchildrenstrust.org/donate