"For any parent, having your child in hospital is stressful and draining, so please get involved with Pyjama Party"

The parents of a little boy who needed emergency surgery at three weeks old far away from home are asking the nation to support The Sick Children’s Trust’s annual Pyjama Party after they were given free ‘Home from Home’ accommodation.

Deborah and Chris Moralee, from Bradford, encountered every parent’s worst nightmare when they were told their three week old baby, Ezra, needed to be rushed to Sheffield Children’s Hospital for emergency surgery. Ezra, now four months old, had an abscess on his neck which made him seriously ill and after being admitted to the family’s local A&E, they were told he needed to be transferred to the specialist children’s hospital. For 11 days while Ezra recovered from his operation, his family were supported with free accommodation run by The Sick Children’s Trust. This meant that Deborah and Chris could be with their little boy throughout his treatment. Mum Deborah says:

“Ezra was born a healthy little boy at our local hospital in Bradford and we were allowed to take him home the following day. Though Ezra became quite poorly and at nine days old he was admitted back to Bradford with an infection of the lymph nodes known as lymphadenitis. He was treated with IV antibiotics for three days and we were sent home. Despite the situation, we remained relatively calm. But after five days of being at home and feeling things still weren't right, I took him to our local GP who said the infection had gone. Three days after this visit – when Ezra was three weeks old - an abscess appeared on his neck and we took him to A&E. Maybe on some level our senses were heightened – we just knew something was wrong. And we were right. At 21 days old, Ezra was readmitted and we were told he needed an operation quickly.

“Ezra couldn’t be treated locally. He needed specialist treatment. Leeds General Infirmary was the closest suitable hospital to our home in Bradford, but they had no beds there. We had to go to Sheffield. All of a sudden, what had already been an incredibly scary situation just became much, much worse. Worries flew through my head as we waited for the special transport to arrive to take Ezra to Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Where would we stay in Sheffield? Would I still be able to feed him? What would Chris do?

“There was some relief though. The nurses at Bradford could see the anxiety written all over our faces. They then told us that we would be able to be with Ezra as much as we wanted, because there was free accommodation available at the hospital run by a charity. This charity was The Sick Children’s Trust and that accommodation was their ‘Home from Home’ Magnolia House. It was a huge weight off my mind, to know that we would have a place to stay so that I could be with my son, through thick and thin while he – such a small, young baby – battled through this.“

Following his successful surgery, Ezra recovered and was allowed home 11 days later. Now, Deborah and Chris are calling on the nation to help raise funds for The Sick Children’s Trust by getting involved with its annual Pyjama Party. Pyjama Party is a fun filled day where children are sponsored to come to nursery or playgroup dressed in their favourite pyjamas and take part in various activities. Deborah continues:

“For any parent, having your child in hospital is stressful and draining. I hadn’t long given birth, and at times I was absolutely exhausted. Exhausted physically and exhausted with worry. It was so important that Chris could be there – we both needed to be there for each other and Ezra to help make him strong, and that was possible because The Sick Children’s Trust gave us a twin bedroom at Magnolia House.

“We feel very lucky that Ezra came out so strong and recovered so well. We believe that may be because he wasn’t fighting his plight alone, and that we were with him every step of the way because of Magnolia House. It really was a lifeline, and we can’t thank The Sick Children’s Trust enough for that.”

The Sick Children’s Trust runs ten ‘Homes from Home’ two of which are located at Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Magnolia House Manager, Ann Wyatt, says:

“When a child is seriously ill, it is so important that they have their family just minutes away from their bedside. The Sick Children’s Trust truly believes that keeping families together significantly improves the child’s recovery, and it costs the charity around £30 to support a family for one night. So if you can join in with our Pyjama Party and raise £30, we’d be incredibly grateful.”

The Sick Children’s Trust’s Pyjama Party takes place from Monday 17 October to Friday 21 October. For more information on The Sick Children’s Trust’s Pyjama Party, please visit: http://bit.ly/2bpm0ls or email fundraising@sickchildrentrust.org.