Dudley youngster thriving after life saving surgery for rare condition
A Dudley six-year-old who had part of his lung removed is now thriving after treatment at Birmingham Children's Hospital (BCH).
Mum Laura Meredith had never heard of Congenital Lobar Emphysema, a rare lung malformation, until her baby boy was diagnosed just a few days after birth.
The rare and life-threatening disorder refers to an obstruction of the airways which leads to an overinflated lobe or lobes of the lung. It causes severe respiratory distress in newborns and affects one in every 20,000 – 30,000 babies.
After a normal pregnancy, Laura, from Dudley, gave birth to Toby via C-section at Walsall Manor Hospital.
At first, everything appeared normal, but Laura noticed that Toby wasn’t feeding well. When she undressed him, she was shocked to find his fingernails and toenails were purple and his skin was turning blue.
