Coming home for Christmas

Four-year-old Xavier Bailey, who has a rare heart condition called truncus arteriosus, has already had 12 operations at Birmingham Children’s Hospital during his short life.

In October he was taken back to hospital with a deep-seated heart infection, which caused a blood clot on his lungs, and he collapsed with cardiac arrest.

His mother Elaine said: “Xavier was conscious but struggling to breathe. Suddenly the resuscitation team were all around him, working on him on the ward, bouncing on his chest, trying to get a tube down him.

“You know it’s bad when every nurse in intensive care dashes over too and helps get him down to theatre - around 20 people all round this one little boy.”

The youngster, whose condition means he only has one artery to his lungs instead of two, was given 22 shots of adrenalin - even though eight is the usual limit.

Mrs Bailey said: “It went on so long, everyone thought we’d lose him. I had confidence though. I kept saying, ‘It’s not his time. He’s still with us. Keep going, keep going!’ and stroking Xavi’s head and telling him ‘Come on Xavi. You’re going to have an operation and then you’ll be well and have your birthday party’.

“Somehow he survived and everyone said he was a little miracle.We’re convinced the combination of the whole team at the hospital plus Xavi with his fighting spirit is quite invincible”

Xavier, who has been named the hospital’s ‘save of the year’, suffered brain damage as a result of the cardiac arrest, but, although it has affected his movement and speech, his intellectual faculties remain normal and he has been spending the past few months attending regular speech therapy, physio and structured play sessions.

And the best news for the Bailey family is that the little boy was this week given the go-ahead to spend Christmas at his home in Haseley with sisters Freya, 11, and Ilona, nine, his mother and father Michael.

Birmingham Children Hospital’s paediatric intensive care consultant Fiona Reynolds said: “This is the highlight of our year. Xavier really is a Christmas miracle. We feared he wouldn’t make it but he’s still a wonderful, sparky little boy – absolutely beautiful and highly intelligent, coping well with rehab.”

The Baileys are helping raise funds for a £2 million Heart Appeal, which aims to introduce new and improved equipment to the intensive care unit. To help call 0121 333 8525 or go online.