Canterbury family meet ambulance team who saved 18-month-old baby
Evanna’s family met the Thanet SEC Ambulance crew after a critical diagnosis at 12 days old
Rebecca Smedley, a mother of four from Canterbury, spoke to us about the crucial decision to seek emergency care that led to the life-saving diagnosis and treatment of her daughter's congenital heart disease.
The pivotal clinical judgement made by a Thanet crew had a significant impact on the outcome of a 12-day-old baby who was reunited with her care givers in a recent reunion.
Now 18-months-old, Evanna from Canterbury in Kent was able to reunite with Paramedic, Lauren and Associate Ambulance Practitioner, Mia, at a reunion at Thanet Make Ready Centre in May.
Evanna's Condition
Despite initial observations looking fine when Lauren and Mia attended the family home in January 2025, Lauren’s instincts said there was something more going on.
Mum, Rebecca said:
“Even though the readings looked fine, Lauren could tell something wasn’t right. She didn’t just rely on the machine. She trusted what she was seeing in front of her. I’ll never forget her saying they don’t take risks with babies.”
Evanna was blue-lighted to hospital, with Lauren closely monitoring her breathing throughout the journey. Oxygen was administered en-route and critical care support was alerted.
On arrival, she was taken directly to the resuscitation area, where a full paediatric team was already waiting. Although she did not outwardly appear critically unwell, concerns raised by the crew led to urgent investigations.
Lauren’s gut feeling proved to be spot on as Evanna was diagnosed with congenital heart disease, including coarctation of the aorta and a large ventricular septal defect (VSD).
Immediate surgery and intensive care were necessary, with Evanna eventually stabilising and beginning her long recovery journey.
Congenital Heart Disease
For advice on spotting symptoms of congenital heart disorders and seeking timely care, Rebecca advises trusting your instincts and seeking medical attention without hesitation.
On the symptoms to watch out for she told us: "I would say definitely trust your instincts. Parents know best, or if you're a caregiver, you know best. You know your baby, you know your child. If something's not right, don't be afraid to act. It's not embarrassing. It's better to know than not know.
"Some of the symptoms that she displayed were false breathing, difficulty breathing, grunting, poor feeding, sweating, pale grey or blue or mottled skin, cold hands and feet, swelling of the tummy, legs, around the eyes and also taking unusually long to feed."
Reunion
Meeting the ambulance crew months later was an emotional reunion, offering closure and gratitude for the life-saving care received.
Lauren said:
“Meeting Evanna and her family again after all this time is incredibly special. You carry cases like this with you and seeing her doing well with her siblings and so grown up is everything you hope for in this job.”
After a long period of recovery, Evanna is doing well. She has a pulmonary artery band in place and a small residual VSD, which doctors are hopeful may close without further surgery. She is growing, developing and meeting milestones and her family describe her as full of personality.
Rebecca plans to create a memory box documenting this journey as a testament to resilience and hope.