A toddler who spent his first birthday in hospital is urgently waiting for a life-saving operation.
Louis Jones was born on February 10, 2022 at 32-weeks and was a "healthy baby", spending three weeks at the neonatal unit before being allowed home. But mum Jade Jones knew something wasn't right with her son when his skin was mottled, he was "sucking in" under his ribs and he was vomiting.
After taking him to Wigan hospital in March at just eight weeks old, she was told it was a viral infection and things were "fine". But four days later he was taken back to hospital due to seizures and was rushed to Alder Hey on a ventilator. His worried family were soon told he had enterovirus, late onset strep b, meningitis and sepsis.
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With damage to his heart, mum Jade said there was no hope of that getting better, but things deteriorated further and Louis began to experience several cardiac arrests. In August last year, doctors were left with no option but to put him on an organ transplant list as an urgent referral.
Young Louis has spent every day since in hospital, including his first birthday, as he still waits for that life-saving operation. Mum Jade told the ECHO: "It's not spoken about enough, we don't know how long we have to wait.
"On an urgent transplant list we could be waiting up to 12 months, it could be longer. Some kids don't survive that long. He needs this transplant to live, to thrive, to grow up at home and have a better chance at life."
Jade has two other children who are at home in Wigan, only seeing them during the half term school holidays and through Facetime every evening. But despite the tough journey, young Louis, who is fed via a peg and is on an IV, is "thriving" and has the nurses wrapped around his finger.
Jade is urging people to consider donating their vital organs to save lives. She said: "There aren't many organs available. Being a mum I completely get why but being in this position now it's made me realise people do need organs, especially kids."
She added: "Organ donation will help save many kids and adults lives, we will be donating Louis heart valves during transplant to help save other kids, so another family doesn’t have to go through the pain of losing their child."
Thanking the staff at Alder Hey, Jade said: "The doctors and nurses go above and beyond for the kids and I would like to thank them and team 1C for making the time here with Louis as best as it can be."
According to the NHS, anyone can register a decision to become an organ donor after death, there is no age limit. Due to a law change, all adults in England are now considered potential organ donors, unless they choose to opt out or are in one of the excluded groups.
More information can be found here.
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