In June 2021, when Chester was just six weeks old, he suffered a respiratory arrest.
Mum, Amy, explains: “We had taken Chester to our local hospital three times, but we’d been sent home. One morning, he really wasn’t well, and my husband was having an MRI scan at the hospital, so we both went with him so I could take Chester to A&E again.
“When we got there and got him out of the car, we pulled his hood back and he was dark blue, bleeding from the nose, foaming at the mouth and not breathing. We ran into hospital screaming ‘my baby’s not breathing’.”
After being resuscitated at their local hospital, Chester was ventilated and put into an induced coma. He underwent a CT scan to monitor his brain function and was then transferred to Sheffield Children’s by Embrace, the highly specialist, round-the-clock transport service for critically ill infants and children. They transport patients in Yorkshire and the Humber who require care in another hospital in the region or further afield.
Chester’s journey took around 45 minutes, with his mum travelling with him in the ambulance.
Amy continues: “It was all such a shock. I have never felt adrenaline like it. It was a perfectly healthy pregnancy, and he was a perfectly healthy baby until this happened. You just go into fight-or-flight mode as a parent, and we had no choice but to fight for him.”
Chester spent the next three weeks in the Paediatric Critical Care Unit (PCCU) at Sheffield Children’s Hospital, receiving round-the-clock care.
Tests revealed he had contracted three respiratory viruses – RSV positive bronchiolitis, Parainfluenza and Rhinovirus. Chester also suffered from secondary pneumonia and a potentially life-threatening collapsed lung, known as pneumothorax.
His care at Sheffield Children’s included being ventilated on two occasions, as well as physiotherapy and repetitive bagging and suction to clear his lungs. He also required a blood transfusion before finally being well enough to go home.
To say thank you for the care he received initially and the care he still receives with a consultant, Chester’s family and friends have dedicated themselves to fundraising for Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity, and they’ve raised thousands of pounds.
Previous fundraisers include a festival-themed 1st birthday party, ‘ChestFest’, for Chester, as well as a sponsored bike ride, a raffle, and in 2024, Amy did the National 3 Peaks Challenge, the Great North Run and the Manchester Marathon.
In 2025, Chester and his family climbed Yr Wydffa (Mount Snowdon) in Wales.
He was joined on the challenge by his brother, Amy, stepdad, nana and grandad, making it a real family affair.
Amy says: “Chester has grown up to be the kindest, happiest, most loving little boy who just wants to help others. I am so proud of him, especially after everything he has been through!
“Me and Chester owe everything to the hospital and will continue to raise money for as long as we can.
“Without them, he wouldn’t be here. I’m really looking forward to telling him all about it when he’s older, and I know that Chester will want to carry on raising money.”
To find out how you can take on an epic challenge to support children like Chester, email our Events team on events@sheffieldchildrens.org.
