‘Grace is our little miracle’
Published: January 24, 2005
A baby girl who was born with a rare defect and suffered a heart attack just a day after her birth has defied the odds to celebrate her first birthday.
Grace Ellingham’s parents could only look on and hope as doctors battled to save her life as she lay hooked up to a life support machine.
But after six weeks in hospital, Grace has now made it past her first birthday and is a healthy, happy, little girl.
Her condition, a Diaphragmatic Hernia a hole in the diaphragm which lets organs slip into the lung cavity and can stop the lungs from developing properly was discovered at a 20-week ante-natal scan.
Babies born with the condition typically need an operation within days and, in some cases, doctors are unable to operate.
Simon Ellingham, 38, of Priory Crescent, Cheam, said it was touch and go if Grace would survive.
“When she was born, at first she seemed OK but then after a few hours she became very seriously ill.
“At 12 hours old, the doctors said they would give her until 24 hours and if she hadn’t improved they would turn off the life support.”
At just one day old, Grace suffered a heart attack and doctors at St George’s Hospital, Tooting, spent 13 minutes trying to revive her before a pulse was found.
With her heart beating again, Grace was put back on life support until she was strong enough for an operation.
During the wait Mr Ellingham and his wife, Linda, 37, were told their daughter had little chance of recovery.
But amazingly, Grace proved the doctors wrong.
“After the operation she came out all guns blazing and there was no looking back,” said Mr Ellingham, an inspector with Croydon police.
“We were told she would have breathing difficulties for the rest of her life and could have some kind of brain damage and possibly cystic fibrosis, but she has absolutely nothing.
“She has had one cold in a year. She’s a happy, placid, gentle, smiley, gorgeous little girl.”
He added the first weeks of Grace’s life had been a “roller-coaster” ride of emotions while Mrs Ellingham said the name Grace was very appropriate.
“We’d already decided that Grace was a name we liked, and since she was born it seemed so appropriate. It was such a lovely name it seemed so right for what happened to her.”
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