According to their words, the parents of a boy named Lennie repeatedly heard from doctors that his wheezing was caused by the flu. However, his condition worsened so much that he had to be transferred to the intensive care unit with a collapse and pneumonia. , in the end he had to undergo two difficult operations, thanks to which his life was saved.
- For a long time, Lennie suffered from breathing problems, which both parents and doctors attributed to the flu.
- Even after several checks, the child’s condition did not improve at all.
- In the hospital, the doctors discovered that his lungs had collapsed and that he also had inflammation in them.
- The boy had to undergo two operations in a row to save his life.
Charlie and his partner Abbie began to notice that their six-month-old son was suffering from respiratory infections on a regular basis. The south-east London parents initially dismissed it as nothing serious, thinking he had caught it from other children. “Lennie was still sick and didn’t sleep well at night. According to them, the doctors claimed that it would soon go away on its own, but the problems kept recurring. Every time he got out of it, it started all over again,” his father said.
Even after six months of visits to doctors, Lennie’s condition did not improve. Despite constant reassurance to his parents that there was nothing to worry about, breathing problems eventually forced them to take him to the hospital. There they learned the shocking news that their son’s lungs had collapsed and he also had inflammation in them. “When they told us it was hard to process. They told us he was the sickest child in the whole hospital,” a devastated Charlie noted.
Paramedics first put Lennie on a ventilator, but when they found out the next day that he had fluid in his lungs, they transferred him to a specialized children’s hospital, where he ended up in the intensive care unit. He immediately underwent two difficult operations, during which doctors removed the fluid using drainage and attached his lungs to the inside of his ribcage to prevent further collapse.
Fortunately, Lennie, who is now four, made a quick recovery after the drain was removed and was soon discharged home. Despite the fact that he still had to go for regular check-ups for a year, according to the doctors, his lungs are currently completely healthy and he is not at risk of further problems. “Lennie is doing great, but he’s still keeping us on our toes,” Dad admitted.
Charlie is now preparing to run the London Marathon to raise money for the hospital that saved his son’s life. “Training is going according to plan, but with children and work, it’s difficult. It motivates me that Lennie will be there to see me cross the finish line” he concluded proudly.
