Learning that your child has been born with a life-threatening condition is every parent’s worst nightmare.

But while most of us may hope that we’re well versed in the various diseases and conditions that could afflict our children, one very determined mum wants to remind us that this isn’t always the case.

Claire Christie was dealt a devastating blow after welcoming her son, Axel, into the world in February 2014 and is now determined to make other families aware of her son's story.

Shortly after birth, Axel was diagnosed with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia meaning that he had a hole in his diaphragm which was so distinct in size it pushed his liver towards his chest, thereby restricting the growth of his lungs.

In an attempt to combat the problem, Axel was given extracorporeal membrane oxygenation which signalled the beginning of a very tough journey for Claire’s son.

Having been taken off life support shortly after his birth, Axel underwent numerous surgeries and procedures before medical professionals resigned to the fact that there was nothing else that could be done for Claire’s little boy.

Axel died in his parents’ arms just 100 days after he arrived into them.

In a bid to prevent similar heartache for other new parents, Claire wants to raise awareness of the condition which claimed the life of her little boy and which occurs in approximately 1 in 2,500 pregnancies,

June is CDH Awareness month while June 28th is CDH Awareness Day.

Find out more about Axel’s tragic story here.
 

 

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