Jessica Newsome shares her real life story:
I was cleaning the house when a loud thud came from my son Declan’s bedroom.
My heart leapt in fear.
When I’d last checked on Declan, one, he was fast asleep in his cot.
Racing into his room, I found him lying on the floor.
He must have tried to climb out and fallen.
“Mummy’s here,” I soothed, scooping him into my arms.
Luckily, Declan appeared fine, except for a large bump above his right temple.
My partner, Blake, agreed to leave work and meet us at the hospital.
When we got there, Declan’s lump had swollen to the size of a golf ball.
After a nasty bump on the head, Declan needed a CT scan. Pictures of Take 5
“We’ll need to do a CT scan,” the doctor explained, “just to make sure there’s no damage.”
But first Declan needed to be sedated, as he was too wriggly to sit through the procedure.
I watched nervously as the doctor picked one of two syringes off a metal tray and injected the clear liquid into my little boy’s arm.
Within seconds, Declan’s eyes rolled into the back of his head.
“I think something’s wrong,” I said, worried.
The doctor looked at Declan first, then at the two syringes.
The colour drained from his face.
Before I had time to ask questions, he scooped up Declan and sprinted from the room.
My baby hung limply in his arms.
Read more: Baby almost killed after Sydney hospital injected him with the wrong drug
Jessica Newsome, Declan Campbell and Blake Campbell, Declan’s farther.
“What did he do?” I screamed, clawing my way past doctors and nurses down the corridor.
I could barely see through my tears, but I was desperate to find my baby boy.
The doc had rung an alarm so I followed the other staff as they raced towards a room.
When I got closer, I realised my baby wasn’t breathing.
“Is he dead?” I shrieked.
Just then, Blake arrived and ran over while doctors placed a tube down Declan’s throat to open his airways.
After an agonising 90 seconds, Declan finally took a shaky breath.
I collapsed in Blake’s arms, overcome with relief.
Jessica Newsome, Declan Campbell and Blake Campbell, Declan’s farther.
Once Declan was stable, a nurse took us aside.
“We’re deeply sorry,” she said. “The doctor injected Declan with the wrong drug.”
She explained that Declan had been given a powerful drug that caused short-term paralysis.
It was far too strong for his tiny body.
I was so shocked I could barely process the news.
Blake was fuming.
“How the hell did that happen?!” he raged.
When Declan came to four hours later, we showered him with kisses.
He was exhausted but still full of smiles.
That night, he finally had his CT scan which came back all clear.
It was bittersweet.
Declan is all better now. Pictures of Take 5
Declan was perfectly healthy when I took him to hospital. But because of that doctor’s mistake, he could have died.
The hospital has apologised and assured us that investigations would take place to make sure nothing like this ever happens again.
Six months on, Declan’s doing great.
But I still have nightmares about seeing my little boy’s limp body.
I’ve even sought counselling to help me get past the trauma.
I trusted the doctor with my son’s life and I could have lost Declan forever.
