One baby girl from Greater Manchester, UK has defied the odds and is being called a “miracle baby” after she survived heart surgery and then coronavirus. Erin Bates survived heart surgery shortly after being born last year. While still recovering from the surgery in the hospital, baby Erin caught coronavirus.
The 6-month-old baby has overcome two life-threatening diagnoses and we might just be her biggest fans.
Erin’s mother, Emma Bates spoke to the BBC and described being “heartbroken” when she learned of her daughter’s diagnosis.
The baby was treated for the illness at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool, a place the family knew all too well after also being treated there for a windpipe issue and a heart condition that occurred shortly after the infant was born.
The parents, Emma and Wayne Bates had a great deal of trust for the hospital after all of their prior experience with the institution and never expected their daughter would catch deadly COVID-19.
Baby Erin was born on October 8, 2019, after her parents had tried to get pregnant for 10 years.
According to a GoFundMe page established by the family, the couple had tried to get pregnant for a decade before finally giving birth to Erin.
“On the 29th of November their world crashed around them when they discovered Erin had a rare & serious heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallots,” the GoFundMe page explained.
The family had to monitor their daughter very closely and on December 14, was hurried to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in an ambulance. Erin underwent open-heart surgery on December 23, followed by several months in the neonatal intensive care unit.
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After recovering from the surgery in the NICU for months, the parents learned that Erin had been diagnosed with coronavirus.
“On the 10th April Erin became very unwell. It was then the family were told that she had tested positive for Covid 19,” according to the GoFundMe page.
Finally, several days later, Erin’s father, Wayne reported that his daughter was in stable condition.
“But with most viruses, we are waiting to see if it has peaked yet, [since] things can change quickly,” Wayne told the BBC.
Fortunately, Erin’s condition stabilized. Her parents began encouraging others to practice social distancing.
“People need to stay home and keep safe,” Wayne instructed. “People are still not taking this outbreak seriously and that upsets me. I take it personally.”
Emma and Wayne were allowed to visit their daughter in the hospital but feared that one or both of them might catch the virus.
“If I show any symptoms I will then be taken to another hospital and Erin will be here alone,” Emma told the BBC. “This alone breaks my heart that if things get worse our baby girl may be on her own when she needs her mummy and daddy by her side.”
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Baby Erin is a fighter and has now completely recovered from the virus.
“Today, Erin beat Covid-19 and received a guard of honor by the treating team on our HDU as she was moved out of isolation,” a spokesperson from the hospital told The Sun.
“Thank you so much to each and every one of them, we couldn’t have got through it without them,” Emma said. “They are all truly amazing and we will be forever grateful.”
This happy ending is even more remarkable when you consider the horrific deaths of other infants who contract the virus.
In March, a baby in Illinois died from the respiratory illness. The child wasn’t even a year old.
“[Over the] last three weeks, there has been an apparent rise in the number of children of all ages presenting with a multisystem inflammatory state requiring intensive care across London and also in other regions of the UK,” doctors in North London explained, according to the New York Post.
While we’re still in the early stages of understanding this disease and its effects on children, it’s safe to say that Erin Bates is a miracle. The odds were stacked against her and she overcame them.