Ella's story

Born prematurely at 34 weeks, baby Ella developed a serious chest infection called bronchiolitis, most commonly caused by the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Thanks to emergency life-saving treatment and intensive care, she survived.

When little Ella arrived six weeks prematurely but with no complications, her parents Steph and Nick counted themselves extremely lucky – especially as, weighing 4lb 14oz, she was allowed home after just a few days. But at four weeks old Ella fell terribly ill with what initially seemed to be a simple cold.

“On around day six of the cold, Ella really went downhill,” Steph recalls. “She was very snotty, had a crackly chest and was miserable. It was a Sunday so I called 111 and they sent an ambulance.”

Doctors diagnosed bronchiolitis – a type of chest infection that can cause congestion and blockages in the lungs, making breathing difficult. It is very common in children under one but the youngest babies, especially those born prematurely, face the greatest risk.

The medical team felt that it was safe for Ella to go home, but the next hours were terrifying: “She cried the whole night – and she’s not usually an unsettled baby,” Steph says. “In the morning, while I was on the phone to my husband, she suddenly stopped crying. Then she went really grey and pale. It was like all the life went out of her. Her arms and legs went limp, her lips went blue and her head dropped back. I screamed down the phone.”

 

Rushed back into hospital, Ella became so unwell that she was blue lighted to the Evelina London children’s hospital. Sadly, she developed pneumonia, her right lung collapsed and her recovery was longer and more complex than anticipated.

Seeing their tiny daughter on life support, and witnessing her struggle to survive, was a deeply shocking experience: “I’m so glad she won’t have any memory of it but Nick and I will be haunted by it for life,” Steph says. “I never imagined what happened to Ella was possible,” she adds. “I had no idea of what bronchiolitis can do to premature babies.”

How new research aims to help

Around one in three children in the UK will develop bronchiolitis before their first birthday, with over 45,000 admitted to hospital each year for monitoring or treatment. Unfortunately, there is currently no vaccine available to protect against RSV – the most common cause of bronchiolitis – and there are no effective treatments. But new research aims to harness the body’s natural immune defences to fight this potentially lethal infection.