A young mother from Staffordshire has issued a stark warning to other parents to always trust their instincts after medical professionals dismissed her baby daughter's life-threatening lung condition as a simple chest infection on fifteen separate occasions.
A Mother's Persistent Fight for a Diagnosis
Ellie Stimson, 21, from Newcastle-under-Lyme, and her partner Keiron Burton, 23, first became concerned for their daughter, Isla-Rae Burton, in the weeks following her birth in February 2025. The infant was constantly wheezing, struggling to breathe, and coughing up mucus. Despite their repeated visits for help, doctors at their GP practice and at Royal Stoke University Hospital allegedly told the couple their daughter was a "happy baby" who would "probably grow out of it."
Over an agonising period of around eight months, Ellie claims she took Isla-Rae to a GP seven times and to the hospital eight times. Each time, she says, they were told it was a chest infection and sent home. "I just don't understand why we were repeatedly told not to worry when we knew something was wrong," Ellie stated. "It was really frustrating and upsetting to be ignored."
The Devastating Discovery and Urgent Surgery
The family's breakthrough came only in October 2025, when Isla-Rae's condition deteriorated so severely she had to be rushed to hospital by ambulance. It was then that medics discovered the true cause of her suffering: a collapsed lung that is believed to have gone unnoticed for months.
The infant spent six hours on life support. Further investigation led to a diagnosis of an extremely rare condition called Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation (CPAM), where cysts grow in the lung while in the womb. According to the charity Asthma + Lung UK, only about 1 in 10,000 babies are born with CPAM.
Now, at 11 months old, Isla-Rae requires major surgery to treat both the collapsed lung and the CPAM. The operation will be performed at a specialist centre at Birmingham Children's Hospital, but the tot is currently on a waiting list. Ellie believes a shadow detected on a scan in May 2025 was a missed sign of the collapsed lung.
Life-Altering Consequences and a Family's Plea
The delayed diagnosis has had profound consequences for the entire family. Ellie has had to quit her job as a care assistant to look after Isla-Rae full-time, and Keiron has also stopped his work in grounds maintenance. They have launched a GoFundMe page to help with living costs during this period.
"They said it could have been life-threatening and we know from research it's not survivable if left," Ellie said emotionally. "I think it's so disgusting the fact that she's just a baby and that it can be picked up but it wasn't. They've failed her."
Ann-Marie Riley, chief nurse at Royal Stoke University Hospital, responded: "We take all concerns raised very seriously and have a robust process in place to investigate concerns and feedback findings to patients and/or their families. We are now in communication with Isla-Rae's family and will work with them regarding their complaint."
Ellie's message to other parents is clear: persist if you believe something is wrong with your child. "Normally the surgery is done immediately so they're not left struggling to breathe like this," she said. "The thought that we could have lost her breaks my heart."
