A mother who was told over and over her son wouldn't make it spoke of her joy after hearing him saying 'mum' for the first time in eight months. Georgia Eaton said her final goodbyes to James five times as doctors prepared her for the worst.
James first became unwell with a high temperature and bursts of dizziness in December 2021. After multiple trips to seek medical help, his local GP was stumped, and James' symptoms continued.
Just weeks later, in January 2022, Georgia walked into James' room, at their home in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, to find him bleeding from the mouth with 'blue lips and vacant eyes'. The schoolboy was rushed to the Countess of Chester Hospital, Chester, and put on life-support.
An MRI scan revealed he had a collapsed lung, sepsis and a chest infection - but despite this, doctors were still unable to pinpoint a diagnosis. As his condition worsened, doctors asked his devastated mum to say her final farewells.
Georgia, 36, who is also mum to Alfie, 11, said: "I thought my son was gone so many times. I was devastated. I was trying to wrap my head around what was going on, but I was just numb.
When the family saw James for the first time in the ICU, Georgia said: "I didn't recognise him. Watching my son battle for his life while all I could do was look on was the most painful experience I've ever been through.
''He was on and off life-support, and we still had no idea what was the matter with him. It was terrifying and frustrating."
James started showing signs of improvement until his heart stopped beating and he was rushed back into critical care in February 2022. After being transferred to ICU at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool. Georgia watched as her son took multiple turns for the worse until he was finally diagnosed.
Diagnosed with a rare auto immune disease, encephalitis, the condition causes inflammation of the brain and intense spasms. ''I had no idea what he had, I wasn’t a doctor, but I knew my son was poorly," said his mum.
"It was bittersweet, I was relieved that we finally had it, but it was so serious, I didn't know if my boy could beat it."
James was given a cocktail of medication including steroids, a specialised ketogenic diet and a therapeutic plasma exchange. But his health continued to falter and on March 20 his heart stopped and he was rushed back to critical care.
"I watched every breath closely, praying it would never stop," said Georgia. "The doctors would prepare me for my son's passing, and yet every time James would recover slowly and crash once again. Every day was a rollercoaster."
After he had been in hospital for four months, doctors arranged a consultation with Georgia and her mum Debbie to discuss a new treatment that might possibly save James' life. A board of doctors approved a steroid treatment - never before trialled on children.
Georgia said: "We had no more options. I had to do whatever it took to save my son." The treatment called anakinra involved James being injected three times a day for six months to reduce inflammation on the brain.
And on June 20, Georgia was told the treatment had been successful and 14-year-old James was finally out of danger. She spoke of her joy after hearing her son say 'mum' again for the first time in nearly a year.
''In June he said my name and that's when I really started to have hope again, it was amazing," said Georgia. "I never thought I would ever hear my son call me 'mum' again.
"I collapsed to the floor, I had waited so long to hear James' voice again. James has been home a few weeks now and it's just something we were never sure would happen.
''He can call out for me whenever he wants now, it's the best sound ever. I'm so grateful to everyone who helped him."
