This Is Guernsey

By Nicci Martel

Ollie Sharp, with mum Lisa, is on his way to a full recovery thanks to the speed of his family doctor and staff at the PEH. (Picture by Daniel Guerin, 0546675)

A RARE condition would have killed little Ollie Sharp had it not been for quick-thinking hospital staff, his parents said yesterday.

The 18-month-old toddler went from a cough to complete paralysis in just three days, but will make a full recovery thanks to the high standard of care he received.

‘If it wasn’t for our doctor and the staff at the hospital he would not be here. They were quick to act and so efficient. They played their part in saving his life and we’re just so thankful to them and everyone else who helped,’ said mum Lisa, a trust manager at Praxis, whose husband, Chris, is a maintenance engineer.

Ollie had been suffering from a cough and cold for a about a week before Mrs Sharp booked an appointment with her family doctor, Dr Tim Gill, on Thursday 21 February.

That day Ollie’s neck had become stiff and he was unusually lethargic. Immediately concerned it could be meningitis, Dr Gill, from Rohais Health Centre, rang a specialist who said he should be taken to hospital straight away.

A lumbar puncture and blood tests revealed no sign of the virus, but he remained in hospital until the Sunday, undergoing a CT scan and various X-rays.

They revealed nothing, but Ollie was gradually losing control of his limbs.

The decision was made to send him to Southampton as soon as possible for an MRI scan. Aurigny offered to fly him there straight away.

By 11pm, he had undergone the scan, but his parents had a two-hour wait for the results.

‘When we got the results it was the worst moment of our lives. We were told he needed surgery now or would lose him. Even with surgery we were told he could have been left completely paralysed.

‘Even when we arrived in Southampton I didn’t think it was life-threatening. I mean I was extremely scared, but I didn’t think he would die until the moment we were told he could.’

Ollie was diagnosed with an arachnoid cyst on his spinal cord. It was compressing it, preventing messages getting from his brain to his body.

It is a condition previously unheard of in a child of his age and something he had had since birth. It is thought a viral infection sparked its sudden growth.

‘Being told that it’s always been there raised all sorts of questions. Could we have done anything to catch it sooner? Was there any way to tell it was there? But doctors told us there was no way of knowing,’ said Mrs Sharp.

Ollie’s surgery was successful and within a week he was home.

The left side of his body will need physiotherapy for a few weeks to get it functioning normally, but he will make a complete recovery.

‘He’s become a little wary of strangers because he’s met so many in the last few weeks and all they’ve done is stick needles in him. But hopefully he’ll be fine soon enough,’ said his mum.