A mum has described the terrifying moment she went to get her little girl up for school and found her lifeless and turning blue. Niky Crooks told Gloucestershire Live there had been no signs that her daughter Jasmine was unwell in the early hours of October 31, 2019. However, by 7.30am, the four-year-old required emergency medical care.
The rapid arrival and life-saving treatment of the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (GWAAC) has now been credited with preventing Jasmine from experiencing long-term physical disabilities and mental impairment. She was later diagnosed with a condition called ROHHAD ( rapid-onset obesity with hypothalamic dysregulation, hypoventilation, and autonomic dysregulation), a rare, life-threatening syndrome that affects the autonomic nervous system.
Mrs Crooks, from Charlton Kings in Gloucestershire, has filmed a video to raise awareness of the work Great Western Air Ambulance Charity does. It will be entered into the Smiley Awards competition, which celebrates the successes of film in fundraising.
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Recalling that morning, Mrs Crooks told Gloucestershire Live: “Jasmine had got up at 5am like she normally does to go to the toilet, and then she went back to bed. I went to get her up for the day at 7.30am, and there was no response when I turned the light on.
“I walked over to Jasmine’s bed, and I saw she was blue and going darker before my eyes. I started doing CPR and shouted for Ryan, who called 999.
“The land ambulance arrived within minutes and immediately took over, and soon after, the police arrived. The air ambulance was with us within 20 minutes of making the call.”
As the different emergency services worked together, Jasmine’s bedroom quickly transitioned from a place of sleep and play to a medical room. Mrs Crooks said: “The air ambulance crew arrived with these enormous bags, which is basically a hospital that they carry on their backs. They worked on her so quickly.
“Jasmine was lifeless and unresponsive still. They intubated her immediately.
“They had to get medicine into her quickly, so they drilled into her leg bones to get the medicine into her.
“I just watched them do it, and she did not even flinch. Jasmine was then airlifted to Bristol hospital.”
Jasmine was placed in an induced coma for three days to give her body time to recover and tests were carried out. Mr and Mrs Crooks knew when Jasmine woke up, she could show signs of physical and mental damage due to the lack of oxygen to the brain.
Mrs Crooks said: “When Jasmine came round from the induced coma, we did not know if we would have the same little girl.
“It was because of the fantastic effort from the emergency services and the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity arriving with their hospital on their back Jasmine was not brain damaged.
“For us as a family, this happening to Jasmine just came from nowhere.”
Tests were carried out, and Jasmine was diagnosed with ROHHAD, a rare, serious syndrome that affects the autonomic nervous system (which controls involuntary actions like breathing and your heartbeat) and the endocrine system. Jasmine now sleeps at night with the aid of a machine which stops her from not breathing.
Mrs Crooks said: “We spent nine weeks in hospital and came out on December 23. We were told there are less than 100 children who have survived ROHHAD in the world, and there is no reason for it or treatment.
“It starts with a lot of weight gain. You could hardly believe the photographs. Jasmine would still put on a couple of kilos even if she ate nothing but salads.
“Now she is up at 6am every day and does 5K on the treadmill every morning.” Mrs Crooks has said after what happened, she looks to each day with appreciation and cherishes every moment with her family.
She said: “I think about how quickly things could have changed that day. I have always been a positive person, but now I do not let things bother me. I look at life freshly and value every moment.
"Jasmine was lucky to have the amazing ambulance crews working on her. It shows just how amazing our healthcare service and the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity really is.
"Jasmine knows she was a very poorly little girl. It has not stopped her being the most wonderful little girl who is always smiling and happy."
Mrs Crooks has now filmed a video to raise awareness of the Great Western Air Ambulance Charity for the Smiley Awards, which promotes the use of film in fundraising. The winners are decided by a judging panel but the winners of People's Choice in each category are decided solely by public vote.
A Great Western Air Ambulance Charity spokesperson said: “Voting will help GWAAC raise even more awareness of the lifesaving work it does in the region and how its service, which is not government-funded, relies on the generosity of donors. Because not everyone understands that their local air ambulance is a charity.
"Votes could open the doors to more donations for GWAAC; donations that are vitally important. GWAAC needs to raise over £4 million each year to remain operational. 2022 was a tough year for our charity; we struggled with the aftermath of the pandemic and then the cost-of-living crisis, so every penny counts.”
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