Hudson Hewitt, 2, tragically died in January (Image: Family/ The Northern Echo)
A toddler has sadly died just hours after his symptoms were dismissed as a stomach bug by medical professionals. Hudson Hewitt, 2, woke up in the early hours of January 18 and would not stop crying. Mum Shannon and dad Tyler, assumed it was a bug at first. However, the two-year-old began pointing at his stomach before being sick while at the family home in Ferryhill, Durham.
Shannon, 26, then phoned the non life-threatening help line, 111, where a doctor diagnosed the toddler over the phone. He said Hudson has gastroenteritis, advising the parents to keep him hydrated and to ring back if his symptoms did not improve. Unfortunately, Hudson’s condition quickly worsened, becoming unresponsive after going to urgent care the following day.
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Shannon, 26, with Hudson (Image: Family/ The Northern Echo)
The toddler was swept away in an ambulance to Darlington Memorial Hospital where he died, despite doctors’ best efforts to save his life.
“It was all such a shock, totally out of the blue,” Shannon told the Echo. “We never felt like a family until we had Hudson. He made us us.
“He was full of character, so smiley. He loved farm animals, dinosaurs. He was a typical little boy.”
Pathology reports concluded that Hudson died due to a twisted bowel caused by a birth defect. His mum Shannon was told most people who are born with the condition can survive without issue.
She believes it may have been spotted earlier if he was seen straight away. The heartbroken mum has now issued a plea for all under-fives to be seen in person when parents ring 111, opposed to an over-the-phone diagnosis, like they received.
Hudson with dad Tyler, 26 (Image: Family/ The Northern Echo)
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She added: “I think if they had seen him on the Saturday and they did his observations something could have shown up.
“If an organ was shutting down maybe his blood pressure or something would have flagged there was something wrong.
“With an adult we can say what the problem is, but a child can’t do that. He was the age where he’d say ‘yes’ to everything.
“As a parent you worry about your kids anyway, but you play a guessing game of if it’s serious or not.”
Shannon has set up a petition, due to go live this week, calling for the change.