Baby Hazel: It started with the sniffles and resulted in an induced coma

“Hazel was around two months old when I put her to bed, noticing she was a little congested. When she woke up, it was clear something was very wrong.  

She was lethargic and unresponsive, floppy even. We immediately took her to hospital where she was rushed through to intensive care.    

Hazel’s heart rate dropped without warning; the monitoring machines sounding the alarm across the ward. We stood there, totally helpless and terrified, as the medical team swooped in to resuscitate her.  

Facing a medical emergency, the doctors elected to place our baby girl into an induced coma. For the next eight days, Hazel breathed through a tube as her tiny body was ravaged by RSV.  

This was the first time I’d heard of RSV and remember thinking: Why didn’t someone tell me about this before? 

I now know it’s a common virus. Many kids have a mild case, but for Hazel, RSV meant an induced coma, collapsed lung, blood transfusion, medication withdrawals and countless, invasive blood tests.  

RSV was incredibly traumatic for her, and our entire family.  

It’s so important that parents know what RSV is and what to look out for, because it can take over so quickly. I simply don’t believe Hazel would be with us today without the amazing care she received in the hospital.”   

Katherine Kieran, Bennet Springs, Western Australia