Mum Jessica reveals how a ‘complete freak a.c.c.i.d.e.n.t’ turned her life upside down
MUM Jessica Howells faced every parent’s worst n.i.g.h.t.m.a.r.e when her son f.e.l.l and h.i.t his head.
Little Jack was just 13 months old when he stumbled over in the kitchen, straight onto the hardwood floor.
He nearly d.i.e.d from a brain bleed brought on by a shattered skull.
Jessica, 30, says: “At first, he seemed alright. He cried a bit, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary.
“Around 20 minutes later, he settled for a nap. But when he woke up, I could tell something wasn’t right.
“We didn’t know it at the time, but the f.a.l.l had fractured his skull, causing a ruptured artery and b.l.e.e.d.i.n.g in his brain.
“The doctors called it a complete freak a.c.c.i.d.e.n.t.”
Concerned, she took Jack to their local hospital – but on the way there, things took a dark turn.
“As we could tell that Jack didn’t seem right, we got in the car and decided to take him to A&E, approximately a 30-minute drive away,” Jessica says.
“However, while we were en route, Jack started to vomit, became pale, floppy and unresponsive, showing signs of a serious head injury.
“We pulled over on the side of the road, and my husband Jamie dialled 999 while I tended to Jack.”
The family’s situation was even more dire because they reside in the rural area of Carmarthenshire, on the outskirts of Llanelli.
“We got through to the call handler, but we were having trouble describing our precise location and they were struggling to locate us,” Jessica says.
“Losing time was not something we could afford.
“Fortunately, my husband already had the What3words app installed on his phone when the contact taker asked whether we could give our address.
“He works in logistics, organising parcel deliveries for global businesses, and he’d heard about the app, which helps identify precise locations, through his job.
“It’s quite commonly used in the delivery world. So Jamie opened it and shared the what3words address of where we were and the dispatcher was able to identify our exact location.
“Within just 13 minutes, first responders arrived at the scene.”
Minutes later, they made the critical decision to call for an air ambulance.
However, the helicopter could not be sent out that night due to fog in the area, instead crew members left Cardiff in a quick response car.
They arrived with neonatal kits small enough to fit a baby, and determined that it was vital to transport Jack to Cardiff, where he could get the specialised treatment he needed.
There, he was placed in an induced coma.
Desperate and devastated, Jessica and Jamie were given a chance to say farewell to their son in case he didn’t make it.
“We weren’t able to travel with Jack but received a police escort,” Jessica says.
“Before setting off, they gave us an opportunity to say goodbye.
“After the longest journey of our lives we arrived in Cardiff, not knowing if our baby boy had survived the journey.
“What we were greeted with was like something from a film – a room full of staff ready and prepared to treat our baby.”
Odds stacked against him
She adds: “Jack looked so small when he was being wheeled in on an adult-sized trolley.
“He was covered in so many tubes and wires that from further away, you would have thought they were just wheeling in a trolley of equipment.
“But our boy was among it all, fighting for his life.”
Doctors decided the child would require emergency n.e.u.r.o.s.u.r.g.e.r.y after some preliminary examinations.
“We talked through the risks of the s.u.r.g.e.r.y, which alone were very serious, but as they said it was necessary to save his life, we signed on the dotted line without question,” Jessica says.
“It was a success. The amazing neurosurgeons, anaesthetists and their teams saved our baby boy.
“We are so grateful for everyone involved. Every individual made up a different piece of the puzzle in this experience, and there are no words to describe our gratitude to the wonderful NHS heroes.
“Having the what3words app downloaded also meant that they were able to find us quickly and save precious time.”
The odds were stacked against him, but almost two years since the a.c.c.i.d.e.n.t on February 10, 2023, Jack is now doing “amazingly well”.
“We were told that he might never talk or walk again, but he is doing amazingly well,” Jessica adds.
“He is now a year and a half old, progressing as he should – mobile and learning words.”
