A mum has shared her horror after she found her six-year-old son foaming at the mouth during an “out of control” seizure.
Brave Albie Bonfield was born with hydrocephalus, a condition that causes a build-up of fluid on the brain, which can cause seizures.
On one horrifying occasion, his mum, Katie, found him upstairs in the midst of a terrifying episode, with his arms and legs jerking around, his eyes in the back of his head, and foam coming from his mouth.
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An ambulance arrived, and then dispatched an air ambulance to assist – providing life-saving support during the touch-and-go incident.
Thankfully, Albie survived and the team was able to prevent him needing brain surgery or any other severe effects.
Ahead of Air Ambulance Week (9-15 September), Albie’s family have shared their story to help raise awareness for the vital work the air ambulance team do, reports Need To Know.
“It was just horrific, it turned serious so quickly,” Katie, from north Norfolk, said of the night she found her son having a seizure.
“I went upstairs around 9pm to tell him [Albie] off, as Owen [brother] had texted me from upstairs saying he was making funny noises as he was trying to sleep.
“Albie was in full seizure, his arms and his legs jerking around, his eyes were right back to his head, he was foaming at the mouth – it was horrific, absolutely horrific.”
She immediately called 999, alongside husband Tim.
When the ambulance arrived, they administered basic intervention and sedated Albie, but he continued to seize.
The crew called for the East Anglian Air Ambulance, who arrived on the scene and gave Albie medication to stop the seizure and progress him to administer anaesthetic – which put the boy into an induced coma, allowing the brain to rest and cause no further damage.
Katie said: “We were just emotional wrecks.
“There were so many people around him.
“All we could do was touch his foot.
“We had to just sit back and watch our son as everyone took over, you felt totally helpless as a parent.”
The Air Ambulance crew were concerned about the build-up on Albie’s brain, and whether the shunt could have been blocked.
To ensure Albie could get the best care, they needed to get him to the Neurosurgical Centre at Addenbrooke’s Hospital.
Addenbrooke’s by road was nearly two-and-a-half hours away, but the air ambulance took Albie there in under 30 minutes – saving crucial time.
Luckily, the lad was able to safely recover, and was diagnosed with epilepsy – which can be common alongside his condition.
The quick response from the air ambulance team meant that Albie, now seven, didn’t need to have brain surgery, and came out of his coma after 12 hours.
Speaking to raffle company Raffolux, who have partnered with Air Ambulance UK to raise funds, Katie said: “I can’t explain enough just how amazing these helicopters are!
“Things could have gone so differently.
“There was no way we would have made it to hospital in time, or anywhere, without the ‘hospital’ coming to us.
“We simply wouldn’t have Albie here without them.”
Air Ambulance charities across the UK are dispatched to an average of 126 lifesaving missions every day, equalling 45,000 a year.
With the charity relying on donations and with each mission costing an estimated £4,000, online raffle company Raffolux have partnered with the charity to help them to continue saving lives, raising over £32,000 so far.
Katie said: “Our life is whole because of [those] donations.
“He wouldn’t be here, and I don’t even want to think about what life would be like if he wasn’t part of our family.”
Albie’s dad Tim added: “No one thinks they’ll need the air ambulance, but when they do it’s essential.
“Our family is whole because of amazing donations to them.”
