Alfie Crawford is keen on dinosaurs, superheroes and cars, just like any other four year old. But in the autumn of 2022 a bout of chickenpox picked up at nursery was to threaten Alfie’s young life in the most terrrifying way. 

Alfie’s mum Stephanie explains here how events unfolded. 

Alfie had developed chickenpox after an outbreak at nursery. After a couple of days I began to get concerned that his symptoms maybe weren’t just chickenpox though. He was very lethargic, seemed in a lot of pain and had virtually stopped eating and drinking. We called NHS24 who sent out a paramedic. He looked over Alfie and said that he was happy that his temperature was falling, and that he thought that he would be OK in 24 hours or so. 

That evening Alfie began to complain of a sore neck and sensitivity to light, so I called NHS24 again thinking he had meningitis. An ambulance took us to the Glasgow Children’s hospital where we remained for the night. They gave him a throat spray and said he had developed viral tonsillitis. Happy that he had eaten, and his obs were OK, we returned home.  

But the next morning, I knew he wasn’t right – he hadn’t slept or eaten for days, we were all exhausted. I spoke with our GP over the phone who again assured me that in 24 hours I should start to see an improvement in his condition. 

Having been reassured so many times that Alfie was OK I thought that I must be panicking and that he really would be OK. 

By that evening, Alfie still wasn’t showing any signs of improvement though. I remembered looking at the signs of sepsis after Alfie’s Granny Lorna had been in hospital with the condition. By this point Alfie was in a lot of pain, he looked a horrible grey colour and he hadn’t passed any urine. He was unable to stand or sit up and was very laboured sounding in his breathing. My heart sank and I knew he had sepsis. 

Alfie’s dad Andy and I got straight in the car and took him to the Children’s Hospital in Glasgow which is about a 20 minute drive from where we live. Within 5 minutes of being triaged, Alfie was in the Resus room with a lot of Dr’s around him. I realised at that point how serious a situation we were facing. When we were taken away to a family room, I thought that was the last time I was going to see my precious boy. 

It transpired that Alfie was in septic shock from chickenpox, with a secondary Strep A infection which had developed into an empyema in his right lung (the lining of Alfie’s lung had filled with almost a litre of pus). It was no wonder he was in so much pain, and had shortness of breath. 

One of the consultants at the children’s hospital – Nadia –  was absolutely fantastic about keeping us informed of Alfie’s condition. She was honest with us from the outset – Alfie was the sickest child in the country that night and she had to keep us informed. It was Nadia who told us that Alfie had sepsis and came and updated us whenever she could that night while Alfie was in Resus. She  also came up to see us all when Alfie was a little more stable a few days later in PICU (the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit). 

Until then, I personally didn’t realise the severity of sepsis. I’ve known friends who have developed sepsis after childbirth, and then when Lorna had it, but I had absolutely no idea that you can die so suddenly if it’s not treated quickly. At the time of Alfie’s diagnosis, it didn’t really sink in. I was on autopilot and not allowing myself to think of the possibility that he might not make it. I had to be strong for my precious boy. The whole family was devastated that our boy was so unwell. They all rushed to the hospital as soon as they found out. 

Alfie continued to receive high dose IV antibiotics for over a week – luckily on the first hospital visit they had taken a swab of Alfie’s throat and the results (that he had Strep A) came back while he was in Resus, so they knew exactly what antibiotics to give him. He stayed in the PICU at Glasgow Children’s Hospital for five days, then he moved to a general ward where he remained for another 16 days. Alfie went on to make a miraculous recovery. He has had a lot of follow up appointments with various consultants in the hospital and it doesn’t look like he has any lasting effects. 

The staff at the Children’s hospital were absolutely fantastic. We owe Alfie’s life to the quick-thinking doctors and nurses. But the play team, the volunteers, even the cleaners all made his stay in hospital more bearable. The positive thoughts and prayers from all our family and friends also helped us get through this nightmare situation. We were genuinely overwhelmed by the love and support that was shown to us. 

When he was admitted to hospital we weren’t sure if Alfie would make it through the night. Now he is living life to the full as any four year old would, out riding his bike, playing with his friends and generally loving life like anyone of his age should. 

I had heard about Sepsis Research FEAT through Lorna having a sepsis diagnosis. I believe it was from the charity’s website that  I learned what to look out for. If I hadn’t looked this up Alfie might not be here today. I didn’t know how serious sepsis was. Since Alfie’s diagnosis I want to make sure that this doesn’t happen to another child. Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity shared Alfie’s story as part of our fundraising for the Glasgow Kiltwalk in April 2023 – we raised over £6000 for GCHC. 

My message to other parents would be to trust your gut feeling. If I hadn’t trusted my gut that night and taken Alfie to hospital, who knows what situation we’d be in today.