A mum thought she was going to lose her daughter after a common flu turned into a collapsed lung.
Jessica Ball, from Sheerness, has described her horror as doctors were considering putting five-year-old Mabel in a medically induced coma.
Now the 30-year-old, who is a logistics coordinator at DS Smith Kemsley Paper Mill in Sittingbourne, has decided to raise money for the team that saved her daughter’s life.
“I didn’t know if she was going to make it through the night,” she recalled.
“I wish with every fibre of my being it had been me instead. As a parent, I just felt so helpless.
“You want to take your kid’s pain away and there was nothing I could do. You just don’t expect it to be you or your children and that’s what was upsetting.”
The mum-of-two says her daughter came down with a cold and had a high temperature and was vomiting.
She believed it was just a bug the youngster had picked up at school, but after a couple of days it had worsened.
Jessica said: “She was really lethargic. She had a runny nose and bad muscle aches.
“I took her to the GP and they said it’s probably flu. The next day she was so much worse.
“She was not eating, drinking or weeing. I knew something wasn’t right.”
On Wednesday, January 29, Mabel was seen at Medway Maritime Hospital and was told once again it was the flu. She was given a general antibiotic to take.
Two days later, Jessica took her back up and asked for X-rays and blood tests to be carried out.
It was revealed on the scans that her left lung was completely white.
She was diagnosed with pneumonia – an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or both lungs, often filling them with fluid or pus. It can be caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi.
“The consultant said she needed IV antibiotics, oxygen and a cannula put in,” Jessica explained.
“She’s also had fluid on her lung and would potentially need her chest drained.
“I was then told at that point that it could be fatal. We needed to get her moved ASAP because they started talking about organ failure and putting her in a coma.
“It felt like I was in a bad dream. My whole world just crashed.”
An ambulance was sent from King’s College Hospital to transport the five-year-old to where she would be specially treated.
It arrived at 9pm and was then blue-lighted up to London.
Jessica said: “They had to sedate her because she was freaking out. It was awful.
“She had the oxygen mask on and we had a doctor and two nurses in the ambulance with us.
“It’s enough for an adult, let alone a five-year-old. We got there at about 11pm and I remember sitting in that room thinking she’s going to die.”
Jessica’s partner, Michael Kitts, was given a place to stay at Camberwell House by the Ronald McDonald charity.
For the next three weeks, Mabel was in intensive care, hooked up to an IV and battling the infection.
She also had fluid on her lung, which then collapsed – a condition where air leaks into the space between the lung and the chest wall.
Every Saturday, Jessica’s parents would travel up and bring her nine-month-old baby, Delilah.
The mum would leave the hospital for an hour or two to see the newborn and then head back inside to keep an eye on her poorly daughter.
After fighting for her life, Mabel was discharged from the hospital on Thursday, February 21.
The toddler is still recovering and struggles with her breathing, especially if she runs or walks for a short amount of time.
Her next check-up is in August but it is understood she won’t have any life-changing problems.
Jessica is raising money for the King’s College Hospital Charity by taking part in their 300,000 step challenge for July.
Click here to donate to her Facebook fundraising page.
She also wants to warn other parents and carers that they should “listen to their own instincts”.
“I knew there was something wrong and I should have initially pushed a bit harder,” she added.
“I still get upset because of how close she nearly died. Even now, if she coughs a little bit, I jump up and panic.”
According to Asthma + Lung UK, more people die from pneumonia in this country than anywhere else in Europe.
Around 700 children under five get it every year and while it can be serious, most recover fully with appropriate treatment.
