Sheffield Children's Hospital: 'Staff were a second family,' says grateful mum after living on ward for months

For new parents Bethany Knowles and James Beck, from Sheffield, they feared it would mean missing all the major milestones of that precious first year.

“If circumstances were different, there could have been no room around his care for a normal childhood,” said mum Bethany.

Their little boy, Archie, was born prematurely on October 3, 2022, and had about as hard a start to life as it gets.

Archie was born with exomphalos major, where the bowel, liver and stomach are outside the abdomen.

Coupled with his heart and lungs sometimes struggling and the many surgeries he would soon need, and Archie spent many months “yo-yo-ing” between being well and very poorly indeed.

Archie’s chance of survival was low, and from one day to the next, the family didn’t know if they would have another day.

But they had the best help they could ask for. After his birth at The Jessop Wing in Sheffield and a stay in intensive care, Archie, Bethany and James would go on to live - yes, live - on a special ward at Sheffield Children’s Hospital for seven months between February and September 2023.

And now, Bethany and James want to shout about the “second family” they found in the nurses, doctors and staff during Archie’s fight.

“Naturally, you get to know the staff really well, and they got to know Archie inside and out too,” Bethany said. “They were a second family.

“They cared and didn’t just want to see him get better but wanted him to do well and cared about his quality of life after he left.

“It was the biggest reassurance on bad days. We knew even in the most traumatic times he was safe.”

Moments that stood out to Bethany include the care that physiotherapists showed to help Archie learn to sit up and play, and how staff always made a fuss of Archie.

When he started to get better, staff joined Bethany and James on outings to Weston Park and even Meadowhall Shopping Centre so they could learn to use all the “terrifying equipment” he needed.

Bethany said: “If it wasn’t for them I would still be petrified of what to do.

"It had so many beeps and tubes and worrying things, but the staff will just do that as their job for anyone and teach you how to use it in public.

“We never expected to get a card staff made at Easter with Archie’s footprints on them. We just thought that was the sort of milestone we would have to miss.

“I don’t think we will ever properly show how grateful we are. They gave us the confidence to be parents. Above and beyond doesn’t even cover it.”

Because of all the love and care from staff, Archie aged two, is thriving, and preparing to start pre-school next year.

Bethany said: “You could put him in a room of other two-year-olds and you wouldn’t be able to pick him out or know he had a difficult start.

"He’s so bright, and he runs around and plays like anyone else. He’s hit so many of his milestones.

"He’s done so well - but I know we wouldn’t have got to where we are today without all they did at the hospital.

“When you’re first discharged from hospital the wider world can feel overwhelming but I’ve found so many wonderful groups...

“The next 10 years only show improvements for Archie. He’s still a celebrity to staff at the hospital when he goes to visit. They all want the best for him. We email them a picture of him on his birthdays.”

As say thank you, Bethany, her sister Abbie and their dad, Dave, will be taking on the Great North Run half marathon for Sheffield Children’s Hospital on September 7.

Bethany said: “None of us are runners by nature but Dad has done it before. We need to raise £1,500 by September. It’s a drop in the ocean compared to all they’ve done for us.”

For more information or to donate to Bethany’s cause, visit gofundme.com/f/archie-the-brave-project.