1:10pm Friday 3rd September 2010
A BRAVE two-year-old boy is back home with his family after surviving open heart surgery.
Alfie Batchelor, of Homestead Gardens, Hadleigh, went under the knife at London’s Royal Brompton Hospital.
The youngster spent the following ten days in intensive care, before returning home to his relieved mum Sally, 33, dad Nick, 38, and brother Charlie, seven.
Sally said: “He had a huge hole in his heart and I was told if he didn’t have it done in the next few weeks he wouldn’t make it through his teens.
“When he was first born he used to breathe really, really fast and he would go blue around the mouth, but I was told by doctors it was just normal.
“I wouldn’t accept that and in the end I was referred to a paediatrician, who took one look at him and said there was something wrong with his heart.
“It turned out blood was leaking through the hole from his heart into his lungs, which was causing infections.”
Southend Hospital monitored Alfie’s condition for 18 months after the diagnosis.
But the youngster was not operated on until he was seen by a specialist from Royal Brompton Hospital, who warned he needed urgent treatment to improve his life expectancy.
He had open heart surgery 12 weeks ago and medics feared for his life during the following lengthy spell in intensive care, but he is now on the road to recovery.
Sally said: “He took a turn for the worse one night, which was really frightening, but thankfully he made it through.
“Alfie’s a truly amazing little boy. He was back on his feet four weeks after he came out of hospital and is now recovering really well.”
She praised older brother Charlie, who has been supportive and done a lot to help Alfie regain the confidence to walk.
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