Riley's Story

As told by his parents, Greg and Catherine Hughes.

 

Riley John Hughes was born on 13th February 2015, a gorgeously healthy baby and our first son.

 

We tried to do all we could to keep him safe - we breastfed, followed SIDS recommendations, and had received our whooping cough booster shots a couple of years earlier.

 

At 3 weeks old, Riley developed mild cold-like symptoms, and a few days after that a very occasional cough.  When he was nearly 4 weeks old, we called out a locum doctor who advised us our son was the "picture of perfect health".  12 hours later we were still concerned as his interest in breastfeeding had diminished, so we took him to Princess Margaret Hospital where he was admitted for observation.

 

Sadly, he grew progressively worse each day. He completely lost interest in breastfeeding and I began to express milk for his feeding tube. As his cough worsened, he was tested and treated for pertussis, and moved into PICU when he developed severe pneumonia.  His heart went tachycardic and he was eventually intubated.

 

Despite desperate plasma transfusions, Riley's heart and kidneys started to fail. 5 days after being admitted to hospital, on Tuesday 17th March 2015, he passed away in our arms.

 

As well as being utterly devastated and heartbroken, we are also determined to do what we can to ensure this never happens to any baby or parent again.