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 severe lung condition as a simple chest infection on fifteen separate occasions over eight months.
A Mother's Persistent Fear Ignored
Ellie Stimson, 21, and her partner Keiron Burton, 23, first became concerned for their daughter, Isla-Rae Burton, in the weeks following her birth in February last year. The infant was constantly wheezing, struggling to breathe, and coughing up mucus. Despite their repeated visits to both their GP and the Royal Stoke University Hospital, they were allegedly told Isla-Rae was a "happy baby" who would "probably grow out of it."
In total, the desperate parents claim they sought help seven times at their GP surgery and eight times at the hospital, only to be sent home each time with a diagnosis of a chest infection. Ellie, who has since quit her job as a care assistant to look after her daughter full-time, described the experience as "really frustrating and upsetting."
The Life-Threatening Diagnosis
The family's breakthrough came only in October, when Isla-Rae's condition deteriorated so severely she had to be rushed to hospital by ambulance. It was then that medics discovered the 11-month-old had a collapsed lung that is believed to have gone unnoticed for months. The baby spent six hours on life support.
Further investigation revealed Isla-Rae was also suffering from an extremely rare condition called Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation (CPAM). This condition, where cysts grow in the lung during development in the womb, affects only about 1 in 10,000 babies, according to the charity Asthma + Lung UK.
Speaking from the family home in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Ellie said: "They said it could have been life-threatening and we know from research it's not survivable if left. 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."
Awaiting Crucial Surgery and Fighting for Answers
Isla-Rae now requires major surgery, which will be performed at a specialist centre at Birmingham Children's Hospital. However, the family faces an anxious wait as she is currently on a waiting list. To care for her, Keiron has also had to stop his work in grounds maintenance, plunging the family into financial difficulty. They have launched a GoFundMe page to help cover living costs.
Ellie believes a shadow detected on a scan in May last year was a sign of the collapsed lung, but it went unnoticed at the time. She expressed anger that the surgery, which is normally performed immediately, was delayed, leaving her daughter "struggling to breathe."
In response to the complaint, Ann-Marie Riley, chief nurse at Royal Stoke University Hospital, stated: "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."
The case highlights the critical importance of listening to parental concerns, with Ellie's final message being a powerful one for all caregivers: trust your instinct if you believe something is wrong with your child.
