Parents Woke up on Holiday to Find Their 10-Week-Old Son “Grey and Unresponsive” in Bed

Four years ago, a young couple was on vacation with their ten-week-old son. What was meant to be a relaxing time became one of the most stressful and heartbreaking periods in the couple's lives.

When Tim and Rachel Millbank from Skelmersdale in the UK went on vacation with their ten-week-old son, who had a cold, they never thought it would turn into something far scarier.

The couple thought they would enjoy a family vacation, but it soon turned into them having to rush to the nearest emergency room with their son and await the doctor's diagnosis.

One morning, Tim and Rachel woke up to find their son "grey and unresponsive." They were panicked and rushed him to Norfolk and Norwich hospital because they "knew something wasn't right." Their son, Elliot, spent eleven days in the hospital before they finally got a diagnosis.

What Happened to Baby Elliot?

When the Millbanks woke up on their vacation in Cromer and found their son in a bad way, they knew they had to seek immediate medical attention. Arriving at the hospital, doctors whisked Elliot out of his father's arms and into the emergency room, where they immediately began working on him.

The doctors stabilized Elliot but still did not know what had gone wrong with the little boy. Doctors thought Elliot's cold had turned into pneumonia but soon found he was not responding to antibiotics.

Later, Elliot was diagnosed with MRSA and sepsis. Doctors told Tim and Rachel that the little boy would need specialist treatment, so they placed him in a morphine-induced coma and transferred him to the ICU in Addenbrooke's Cambridge Hospital.

The transfer took the family 190 miles from home, and Tim and Rachel had to find somewhere to stay while fearing for their son's life. Tim admitted:

"It was incredibly scary to see Elliot that poorly and for the medical staff to be so concerned about his health. Seeing him intubated and in a coma was really difficult, especially as new parents. He was really struggling to fight off the MRSA and sepsis, and his body needed a break to recover."

Tim said he did not know how he and his wife got through that time in their lives, saying that it was terrible to have almost lost their son a few times. They were also struggling with being so far from home and not knowing how they would stay close to their son.

Who Helped Tim and Rachel?

Tim and Rachel thought their only option would be to have an extended stay at an expensive hotel nearby so they could be close to their son as he underwent treatment. However, they were pleased to find out this wasn't necessary.

The Sick Children's Trust came to their rescue and accommodated Tim and Rachel in their "home from home" scheme, allowing them to live in Acorn House to be close to the hospital.

The Millbanks stayed in the home with other parents who were in a similar position to them. Tim gushed:

"Our own parents were able to visit us at Acorn House, and we also got a lot of support from the other families staying at the 'Home from Home' who going through a similar situation to us. That support network really helped us through what was such a difficult time."

Elliot is now four and doing better than ever. Tim confirmed that he had no long-term complications because of his health scare when he was younger and has turned into a friendly and happy child.

Tim has now taken to running and is planning to run a 10k to raise funds for The Sick Children's Trust to show their appreciation for supporting them during the time when they needed it the most.

While the Millbanks received much support while their son was ill, another man didn't receive as much love because nobody knew he cared for a sick baby. His students couldn't stand him until they learned he looked after a child. Read his story here.