The mother of a teenager who has been left brain-damaged following an asthma attack has said that she is determined to give him the best life possible.
Speaking to Belfast Live, Chloe McCrory explained that two years ago she returned home from a shopping trip to find her then 14-year-old son Cole, who had suffered from severe asthma since he was a child, having breathing difficulties.
Cole had used his inhaler in the hopes that the issue would go away, but a short time later he had to call for help from his mother as he could not breathe. Chloe then rang an ambulance, with paramedics becoming concerned for his welfare, rushing him to resuscitation upon his arrival.
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Medical staff managed to save Cole, but Chloe was later told that his heart had stopped beating for 15 minutes and he would have to be placed into a coma, with his care team explaining to Chloe that they were unsure of his condition due to the amount of oxygen his brain lost.
He spent the next month in a coma in Belfast Children's Hospital with his mum as she did not want to leave his side.
Speaking to the publication, Chloe said: "Cole had suffered with bad asthma since he was very young and had been prescribed very strong inhalers in order to manage it but we would still spend a couple of days in hospital every so often when it got bad.
"Despite this, growing up he was always a very sociable boy with a great group of friends and he loved playing games together with them and I would regularly have to tell him to be quiet because they could get so loud.
"We were always extremely close and he was my best friend who would help me about the house and talk to me about everything.
"I never could have imagined how quickly all of this was taken away from us after that nightmare of a day.
"When he started to have problems with his breathing he starting taking extra puffs of his inhalers but his condition wouldn't get any better.
"The out-of-hours GP advised us to ring an ambulance urgently and once inside it the paramedics got very worried about his condition and blue-lighted us the whole way there and quickly rushed him inside to be seen as he began to have a heart attack.
"I felt numb having to wait outside for him fearing the worst and was devastated when I was told that his heart had stopped for 15 minutes. Although I was thankful that he was still alive.
"From there we started the toughest year of our lives as I sat beside him in the Children's Hospital for a month while he was in a coma, not knowing what would await us when he finally opened his eyes. I refused to leave his side the entire time because I couldn't bear the thought of not being with him in case anything happened."
Chloe added that during her sons year-long stay in hospital, his doctors and nurses "became like family" to her and she will be forever thankful for the dedicated care they provided for her son.
She said: "The Christmas after he went into a coma I had gone home quickly to wrap up presents for my two daughters before going back to see Cole again. I then got the best present I could have asked for when I walked into his room and his eyes opened and he gave me a little smile.
"Over the next few days he went for scans in order to check-up on his condition, because during his coma he had been suffering seizures and doctors wanted to establish the damage that had been done to his brain.
"I was told that he had the 'best worst result' as the section of his brain that was damaged controlled his coordination and speech and that mentally he would be OK.
"Over the coming months he fought so hard through recovery with his physios and OTs and after a gruelling few months he was eventually able to stand unaided, although not for long as his condition has had a huge impact on his movements and his ability to control them.
"While I am so proud of how hard he fought to get where he is, my heart is still broken that I will never be able to hear his voice again. I would do anything to hear him shouting and laughing while playing games with his friends again."
Now two years on, Chloe is now the full-time carer for her 16-year-old son alongside raising her two daughters aged 10 and two, she says this can be difficult and frustrating at times but she is determined to make sure Cole has the best life possible.
Chloe said: "As our house in Newtownards was not suitable we had to be relocated to Millisle which is quite out of the way from our support network of family and friends and can make everyday a challenge because I have to be with Cole at all times.
"He is still fully aware of all that is around him and for him to go from being such a social butterfly with his friends to not being able to do anything has had a huge impact on him, but I still try to do all I can to improve this which often involves him enjoying a nice steak.
"At the moment I am having to take taxis to anywhere we want to go together because I don't have suitable transport, which can be very expensive and makes organising things for him, like seeing his best friend, a huge challenge.
"Because of this I am having to reach out to others for help so that I am able to give Cole the quality of life that he deserves and have started a fundraiser so that I am able to get a wheelchair accessible van and equipment for him.
"This would allow us to go on trips and out for meals without having to pay huge sums for taxis there and back and would make all of our lives easier as it feels like at the moment we never leave our house.
"If anyone is able to help us we would be very grateful as it would give our family the boost that it needs after two tough and very difficult years."
If you would like to donate to Chloe's fundraiser, you can do so here.
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