Mother’s intuition told Laura to raise the alarm

Alfie nearly lost his life due to Encephalitis, but is now doing well. (Andrew Cawley)

LIKE mums all across the country, when Laura Holguin’s little boy was poorly she just knew something was wrong.

Despite medics being unable to pinpoint a problem, she pushed and pushed. And her perseverance and then their skills saved little Alfie, now six, when he was diagnosed with a rare form of encephalitis.

But it was touch and go and Laura, 37, and husband John, 39, were told they could lose their only son.

Now, after Wednesday’s World Encephalitis Day, the Kirkcaldy mum is desperate to get out the message to parents to trust their own instincts.

It was just days before Alfie’s fourth birthday in August 2014 that he took unwell.

“Within minutes of getting up on the Monday morning he wanted to go back to bed and sleep,” said physiotherapist Laura, who also has two daughters, Sophie, eight, and Ava, three.

“I just knew something was wrong and got an emergency appointment at the GP’s. He was actually sick as we went in but the feeling was that it was a bug and to go home and give him fluids.

“Soon after, though, I saw the left side of Alfie’s face droop and I rushed him to our local A&E. It was thought it was viral and after yet another check we were sent home again.

“But at home Alfie was suddenly falling about the place and didn’t even know who he was. It was awful.”

The couple hurried back to A&E and, after another viral diagnosis, insisted on a paediatric consultant seeing Archie.

He was admitted to a high dependency unit and put on anti-viral drips and meningitis medication although no firm diagnosis was yet determined.

“He had a sore neck, couldn’t look at light and the doctors said it was very serious,” said Laura. “When I asked how serious they said that he might not survive.

“We both sat at his bedside the whole time and feared we might lose him. It was terrifying.”

Alfie was rushed by ambulance to Edinburgh’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children where he underwent several MRI scans, a brain EEG and a lumbar puncture.

Finally, after four agonising days, Laura and John were told he had a rare condition called Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis.

“I’d heard of encephalitis, but not this type which causes a swelling of both the brain and the spinal cord,” said Laura.

“Alfie had already been given steroids and with this diagnosis the doctors were able to tweak the treatment and he started to improve. It was his birthday on the Saturday and by then he was getting better and we knew he was going to be OK.”

It was a long recovery process for Alfie but he’s now back to full health.

Though Laura has nothing but thanks for the staff’s efforts, she wants parents’ concerns to be listened to. “You know your child better than anyone.”

Dr Ava Easton, chief executive of the Encephalitis Society, said: “We need to make people aware of the condition and the devastation it can leave.”

Visit encephalitis.info