When Sophie Mitchell’s daughter Harriet was just three weeks old, she stopped breathing in her car seat.
Baby Harriet was rushed to hospital, where a week of testing followed while Sophie and her partner Shane lived through every parent’s worst nightmare.
“Initially doctors thought it was laryngomalacia or floppy larynx,” Sophie told the Newcastle Weekly.
“It’s far from ideal, but it is a manageable condition.
“After surgery, doctors discovered that she actually had subglottic stenosis where her airway was 90% closed and she needed to go straight to ICU.”
Doctors told Sophie it was a miracle Harriet had survived the first few weeks of her life.
Days later, she underwent a complex airway reconstruction which marked the
beginning of a six-week stay in the PICU.
“It was terrifying,” Sophie said.
“There were moments when she stopped breathing again.
“One time, they rushed her off for an MRI because they weren’t sure if she still had brain activity – it was that serious.”
Over the next two years, Harriet would return to the PICU again for another major surgery and the insertion of a tracheostomy in 2024.
Her airway had collapsed again, and this time she stayed in intensive care for five weeks, battling pneumonia, COVID and multiple setbacks.
Through it all, Sophie and her family remained by her side.
“It becomes your whole world. You learn to live in there. You don’t really realise how much that environment affects your mental state until you step outside.”
And, that’s exactly why Sophie and Shane with their daughters Tully and Harriet are championing the new outdoor courtyard project for the PICU.
The $536,000 initiative funded by Sleapy’s Foundation is to create a tranquil outdoor space for patients and families whose children are critically-ill.
Sophie knows first-hand what a new outdoor space at PICU would mean.
“One of our nurses used to check the weather forecast and say, ‘We’ve got rain coming, let’s get Harriet outside today because she won’t be able to go out for a week.’
“But, getting her outdoors was such a big process.
“They had to take her downstairs and out to the grass – it was a mission.”
Sophie explains that the existing verandah is small and not particularly child friendly, and Harriet couldn’t sit and play comfortably outside.
“But, on the days she did get out, she was happier.
“She’d be in a better mood and so we all coped better.
The new courtyard will change everything for families like Sophie’s and for the little ones like Harriet who need fresh air and light to feel normal again.
“It’s not just the kids, either,” Sophie added.
“At night, I’d go out just to get 10 minutes of fresh air.
“Even just sitting there with a cup of tea, seeing the sky, it helped me let go a little bit before heading back in.”
When completed, the courtyard will be more than just a space for a breather.
It will include external beds for two patients with provisions to allow for their PICU treatment to continue while they benefit from a connection with nature.
It will be a sanctuary for difficult conversations, a calmer place for siblings like Harriet’s big sister Tully, and a private setting to celebrate milestones.
“We saw other families trying to celebrate birthdays in the family room, and it was heartbreaking.
“Everyone’s crammed in, and we felt like we were intruding on their special moment.
“A courtyard would give families the space, and dignity, to make those moments meaningful.”
Sophie, who is now back at work as a school learning support officer, says that two-year-old Harriet is full of life.
She still has her tracheostomy, but the hope is that it will be removed soon.
“She’s crawling, chatting and dazzling everyone with her love of dress-ups and cheeky spirit.”
Despite Harriet’s challenges, including a severe case of hip dysplasia, she’s thriving in every way she can.
“She’s just the happiest little girl considering everything she’s been through, she’s so resilient,” Sophie added.
“And, honestly, this journey has changed me, too.
“I used to be anxious and shy but now, I’ll speak in front of a crowd if it means advocating for Harriet or Tully, myself or for projects I believe in like fundraising for a PICU courtyard.”
To donate to Sleapy’s Foundation PICU Courtyard Project, visit their website.
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