Seven-year-old Harper is not one to sit still! She loves gymnastics, basketball, riding her bike and running around with her two adorable Cavalier King Charles Spaniels.
So her mum Katrina said it was a shock when her daughter was suddenly in pain and unable to walk.
“Harper had played basketball that day and seemed happy and healthy when she went to bed. I woke up in the middle of the night to Harper crying out in pain and she couldn’t put any weight on her left leg,” Katrina said.
The next morning, Harper still couldn’t walk, she had a temperature and wasn’t eating. Katrina and dad Craig grew more and more worried as Harper’s condition deteriorated.
When Harper’s fever hit 40 degrees and she started vomiting, they rushed her to the hospital emergency department.
Doctors ordered numerous swab and blood tests to try and find out what was causing her to be so unwell.
“It was baffling,” Katrina recalls. “We saw paediatricians, orthopaedic surgeons, infection and immunity specialists. We were so scared; all we knew was that it was some kind of infection, but she needed more bloods tests, x-rays and ultrasounds.”
When there were still no clear answers, doctors arrange an MRI which revealed that Harper had osteomyelitis, an infection of the bone in her hip.
While already dealing with one diagnosis, Katrina and Craig were hit with the news that Harper had also developed sepsis a potentially life-threatening blood infection. If not treated quickly, sepsis can lead to organ failure, septic shock and ultimately be fatal.
“It came at us all once,” Katrina said. “Suddenly we were dealing with two major issues and facing the unknown head on. They told us Harper’s condition at that stage was ‘dynamic.”
Harper was immediately put on intravenous antibiotics to fight the infections that were spreading through her body.
“As a parent you can’t process what’s going on; the emotional stress made it all a blur. Suddenly we’re being admitted, and doctors are talking about possible surgery,” Katrina said. “I remember not fully understanding what was going on and just breaking down with a lovely nurse asking what all the diagnoses meant.”
The initial few days on the ward were long and stressful. Katrina said the days and nights rolled into each other as they feared the worse. Harper was lethargic and could hardly move.
“We were told that Harper would potentially get worse before she got better; all we could do was be by her side and wait,” her mum said.
As the antibiotics started to take effect, Harper’s condition began to improve and she slowly started to walk again.
It was at this point that the family discovered the Starlight Express Room and Katrina said it made the world of difference to their stay.
“Starlight let Harper just be a kid again. Being in hospital can feel like your whole world has stopped, Starlight brings back some ‘normal life’ during those really stressful times.”
Blood tests were traumatic for Harper, so having something fun to look forward to helped her cope with her toughest days. She loved that there was always something new exciting and going on each day in the Starlight Express Room – and that there was no talk of medicine, needles or doctors in there!
Harper enjoyed doing craft and making slime in the Starlight Express Room and she even learnt how to paint with her left hand due to her IV line being in her right hand. Harper met other kids in the hospital and loved introducing her friends to Captain Starlight whenever they visited.
“As a parent when you’re exhausted and have no fuel left in you, suddenly the Captain Starlights emerge! They have an amazing ability to tap into kids’ individual interests and always make them smile,” Katrina said.
The Starlight Express Room was also a place the family could spend valuable time together. Often Craig and Katrina passed like ships in the night as they juggled the demands of work and hospital.
“As parents, it was a place we could relax and just breathe. It really took pressure off us knowing that Harper was happily playing, painting or doing craft.”
Thankfully Harper has fully recovered, and has slowly returned to gymnastics, swimming and more recently basketball.
She still has ongoing checks-ups in hospital and no trip is complete without a visit to the Starlight Express Room to see the Captain Starlights. “It’s a highlight of every visit!” Katrina laughs.
The family is so thankful to Starlight supporters and said, “Starlight helped keep Harper's mind off the pain she was in and gave her something positive to look forward to in hospital. The Starlight Express Room was her motivation for getting up each day and off the ward. It’s so important for kids to have that space for happiness during the stress and pain of the hospital journey.”
