Most parents never have to go through the ordeal of having to save their child's life. But for Emma Keeton it is a reality that could happen at any time.
In just 15 months since Thys Bell was born she has resuscitated him no fewer than 10 times.
He has an abnormal connection between his oesophagus and trachea meaning he frequently chokes on his food and the problem got so bad that between November and March he stopped breathing every two weeks.
Thys Bell, pictured with his mother Emma Keeton, is at risk of choking to death every time he eats
Thys suffers from a rare condition called tracheo-oesophageal fistula and his mother has had to save his life at least 10 times since he was born
Pictured with his father, Michael, and mother in hospital where he spent three weeks on a neo-natal unit
Each time his 31-year-old mother has to carry out five minutes of CPR while her husband, Michael Bell, calls for an ambulance to go to their home in Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire.
He was born with a rare condition known as tracheo-oesophageal fistula which stops the muscles in his throat from functioning properly. This means his food often goes down his windpipe causing it to collapse.
The first time Ms Keeton had to revive her son was days after Thys came out of hospital as the family traveled along the M1 motorway.
HOW EACH ATTACK CAN KILL THYS
Consultant Dr Harish Vyas at the QMC said tracheo-oesophageal fistula almost always leads to the life-threatening attacks.
He said: 'For a relatively isolated condition he's had a lot of problems but he and his parents have been incredibly brave to fight and get through the attacks.
'The name of the game is to support children like this in their first year, then they grow stronger.
'They get older and quickly they grow to have more muscle tissue in their throat which helps the problem.
'But Thys is getting there, hopefully now you will see him getting better and better. It's fantastic to see him getting healthier.
'With this condition the trachea is often floppy and it can be made worse by reflux and when acid goes back into the mouth creating even more obstruction to the airway.
'I have seen patients suffer a great numbers of attacks like Thys but this is because they can also be very prone to chest infection.'
She said: 'He was crying and I didn't think it was anything major. Then he turned blue.
'I honestly thought we'd lost him and it took what seemed like a lifetime to revive him but was probably around three or four minutes.
'Michael pulled over into the services as soon as he could and called the ambulance. Two days later it happened again. It can happen at any time.'
Despite saving their son's life on so many occasions, Ms Keeton said she can't get used to what is happening.
'The previous time still doesn't prepare you for the shock and emotions of it all,' she said. It is just as scary every time. It has been difficult because we can't really relax and go out and we need to always keep an eye on him.
'Sometimes CPR works straight away and he is fine by the time the paramedics arrive. Other times he can go back to being unconscious by the short time he gets to the hospital.'
Just one in 3,500 babies have the condition but Thys suffers from it so badly that he sometimes swallows due to gravity rather than his oesophagus contracting properly.
As a result, his parents avoid feeding him food with a skin such as apples and tomatoes because they easily get stuck in his windpipe.
Ms Keeton said: 'It's difficult to know what to feed him, we try and keep him on a natural diet but if we can peel it at all, we will. Each time it's something different. He swallowed bread fine for months but then that got lodged and stopped him breathing.
When he was first born, Thys was rushed straight into surgery because he was unable to clear his throat and he then spent nearly three weeks in a neo-natal unit
Thys hasn't had a choking episode since March and his hospital trips are do to become less frequent after an operation on his spine later this month
'We have to make sure he's alert and not drowsy and that he's topped up with water and juice as often as possible. We were also advised to sleep him on his side and not his back because his chin can fall. That can affect his airway and make him choke.'
When he was first born, Thys was rushed straight into surgery because he was unable to clear his throat and he then spent nearly three weeks in a neo-natal unit.
On top of his swallowing problems, he also had complications with his kidneys, spinal cord and he was unable to get rid of carbon monoxide from his body.
Thys will have to live with the condition for the rest of his life and will be in and out of hospital for operations to widen his throat.
Ms Keeton continued: 'Mucus builds up at the back of his throat too because he doesn't have the hairs to clear it and he is constantly on antibiotics because he is more susceptible to chest infections.
'We really do live day by day. The oldest TOF sufferer we know is in his 50s and there's no reason why Thys can't have a normal and long life like anyone else.
Fortunately Thys has not had a choking episode since March - the longest period he has not been rushed to hospital. Later this month he will have an operation on his spinal cord which his family hopes will mean fewer trips to see doctors.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2145233/Tracheoesophageal-fistula-Toddler-risk-choking-death-time-eats.html#ixzz1v2mp9pqe
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