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Baby's Rare Disorder Sparks US Treatment Hope
20 Jan
Summary
- A seven-month-old baby boy collapsed in a supermarket and stopped breathing.
- The child has a rare neurological disorder called Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood.
- His family is fundraising for life-saving clinical trials in the United States.
A seven-month-old baby boy named Rupert Smith suffered a life-threatening medical emergency when he collapsed and stopped breathing at a Tesco store. The infant, who has a rare neurological disorder known as Alternating Hemiplegia of Childhood (AHC), was airlifted to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool. His father, Dave Smith, reported that Rupert has continued to have significant seizures and is undergoing various tests, emphasizing that "he is not completely stable and out of the woods yet."
The family's ordeal began as they prepared to take Rupert for a hospital appointment. His mother, Siobhan Smith, immediately administered CPR before emergency services arrived. The incident at the Broughton Shopping Park on Monday required the supermarket's evacuation and temporary closure of the entrance by police. Mr. Smith, a police sergeant himself, expressed immense pride in his wife's quick actions and gratitude for the support from emergency services and NHS staff.
