Amie and Sharyn’s Story

Amie & Sharyn’s Story

Devoted Campbelltown Mum of seven Sharyn Pitman experienced the unimaginable when she and her daughter Amie contracted whooping cough, at a time when pregnancy vaccination and adult boosters were not offered.  Sharyn shares her traumatic experience hoping that others will understand the devastation of this disease, and the importance of whooping cough boosters.

“Amie was my second child – a happy and healthy little baby. When she was 16 days old, she became fussy and started coughing. I took her to the doctor, and he said she had a chest infection.

Her conditioned worsened, so we took her to hospital. It was heartbreaking, watching her suffer so much, and nobody seemed to know what was wrong with her. Her coughing fits became so severe they made her gasp and scream, and she developed pneumonia. 

The doctors decided to ventilate her to give her little body a rest so she could fight this illness better. This is a traumatic thing for any parent to watch, so they advised us to leave the room.  I had no idea that it would be the last time I saw her awake.

As the doctors were intubating her, she had a small seizure soon followed by a much longer one.  She was then transported to a hospital with a paediatric specialist available, and we spent that evening sitting with her, holding her tiny hand.  When we were asked to leave at 2.30am to go home to change and shower and to come back in the morning, we were assured that she was in good hands.

I wish I had stayed.

We were awoken at 5am by the phone and told to make our way into the hospital.

We had a flat tyre. Of all the times to get a flat tyre.

When we eventually got to the hospital we were taken to a room and told that it was believed our daughter wouldn’t see the day out.  Her body wasn’t responding to any treatment; her organs were failing her and her tiny body was filling with toxins. She had had very low oxygen levels for most of the prior hours, and her heart had also stopped several times.

We rang immediate family and asked them to come in to say their goodbyes.

Some never made it.

As we watched, machines failed to help her, and they were slowly switched off and unhooked one by one. I remember seeing the numbers on the heart machine slowly getting lower. 

Our baby girl was dying.

The last machine was unhooked and she was placed in my arms where she passed away shortly before 11am on Sunday 13th April 1997.

Walking out of the hospital and leaving her there was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

When we got home her room and cot seemed so empty.

The afternoon of Amie’s funeral the hospital called with the results of Amie’s autopsy. Results revealed that Amie had passed away from whooping cough (otherwise known as pertussis). Amie was the 4th child in NSW to die from whooping cough that year (1997).

I tested positive to whooping cough as well. Although I’d been vaccinated at a child, my immunity had worn off – and whooping cough boosters for adults weren’t available until several years later.  Few people will ever know the devastation and guilt one feels and lives with, knowing that the disease your child died from, was caught from you.

I was extremely sick for 3 months. I have never felt so sick in my life. I coughed, I cracked ribs, I gasped for breath, I soon understood why my daughter wasn’t able to survive this. It’s horrendous for an adult so I can understand a newborn baby simply being too young to fight this off.

These days, and sadly after the tragic deaths of more babies from whooping cough, booster shots are provided free to mothers during each of their pregnancies. These pass on protective antibodies to an unborn child and are incredibly effective at preventing them from catching this awful disease.

Whooping cough boosters are also recommended for adults, especially those around babies – I so badly wish they had been available back then.

Although it’s too late for my baby and many others, these booster shots can make the difference between a baby surviving or not surviving whooping cough.

Please vaccinate; to not only protect your own family, but to protect your community.

Watching your child die from a preventable disease is not something that I would wish on anyone.

- Sharyn Pitman