Baby Emmett: An emergency LifeFlight saved his life

“I knew something was very wrong with our little man. Something that started out like a cold was turning pretty nasty. He wasn’t eating or drinking; he was vomiting and really limp in my arms. My maternal alarm was screaming.   

We presented to our regional hospital twice and were sent home on both occasions. On the third visit I simply decided we weren’t leaving without a proper assessment. 

A doctor assessed Emmett and assigned him a score on the respiratory severity scale –  

the highest score the staff had ever seen. 

A ‘code blue’ was sounded, signalling Emmett was in dire need of help and needed to be airlifted to a hospital with greater capacity. 

The LifeFlight transport helicopter was staffed by a medical crew who were amazing, they took over the situation, managing Emmett while being incredibly supportive to our family.  

With Emmett on a portable ventilator, we were transported to a private hospital in Toowoomba, with a full medical team and the best equipment in the region.  

The LifeFlight team and the doctors and nurses at Toowoomba saved Emmett’s life. We are so grateful! 

When we discovered that Emmett had RSV, I did know what it was, but I didn’t know how serious it can be and how quickly it can develop. 

We are parents who try to do everything by the book, yet RSV still impacted our lives in such a horrendous way.  

If you know your child is unwell, keep pushing. Without our persistence, I believe that we would have lost our precious son.” 

Vanessa Richards, Warwick, Queensland