Alfie celebrates his first birthday by giving back to Sheffield Children's Hospital

Alfie was born in March last year in Sheffield. During a routine test of pressing Alfie’s tummy, he began vomiting.

An X-ray revealed abnormalities in his bowel and Alfie was transferred to the Neonatal Surgical Unit at Sheffield Children’s.

Alfie underwent surgery to correct a condition called Meconium ileus. Meconium ileus is a bowel obstruction which occurs when the meconium, which is a substance in the intestine, is thicker and stickier than normal, creating a blockage.

Mum Sophie said, “I was dressed and ready to go home and before we knew it, we were at Sheffield Children’s and Alfie was having surgery. When we were told they had discovered Meconium ileus they said that nine in ten babies with the condition go on to have Cystic Fibrosis, so we prepared ourselves that this might be the case for Alfie, and it was.”

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs, but also the pancreas, liver, and intestine. Long-term issues include lung damage and coughing up mucus as a result of frequent lung infections.

Sophie, from Rotherham continued: “It all happened really quickly, Alfie had surgery on the Sunday, was tested for CF on the Monday and we were diagnosed by the Friday. Our lives completely changed in such a short space of time.”

Cystic Fibrosis requires regular physiotherapy to stop mucus from building up in the lungs and causing recurrent infections and lung damage. It also means Alfie will need regular medication and treatment for the rest of his life.

Sheffield Children’s is one of just 13 Cystic Fibrosis specialist centres in the UK. The unit helps patients to maintain independence, improve their quality of life and extend their life expectancy.

Sophie adds: “While we were in the hospital, the team from the Cystic Fibrosis Unit visited us every day from physios to dietitians, they taught us how to do Alfie’s physio and manage his diet at home.

“They were amazing, taking time to answer every possible question we had. We never felt like a burden, everyone goes above and beyond to help and make you feel supported and tell you everything you need to know.”

Alfie’s diagnosis completely changed the lives of the whole family, but one year on Alfie has celebrated his first birthday and is living life as a happy toddler despite the challenges he faces.

“Alfie is a bubbly, happy little boy. He takes medicine every day and we do physio twice a day, patting around his chest to shake off any mucus. We also do 10 minutes of running around to get him out of breath and get his lungs moving.”

Alfie’s family have so far raised over £350 for The Children’s Hospital Charity, to support the Cystic Fibrosis Unit at Sheffield Children’s, where Alfie has regular check-ups and treatment. Donations have been made by family and friends in celebration of Alfie’s first birthday which was in March.

Sophie continued: “We’ve had so much support from Sheffield Children’s, and until you need it you don’t realise how important it is. We want to give back and this is our way of doing that. The Cystic Fibrosis Unit will be our second home until Alfie is sixteen. We’re really grateful to our friends and family for donating and helping us to say thank you to the hospital.”

Donations to The Children’s Hospital Charity support wards and departments across Sheffield Children’s, including the Cystic Fibrosis Unit. The money raised is used to fund new facilities, specialist equipment for the unit such as spirometers and enhancements to the service.

Noreen West, Consultant Cystic Fibrosis Paediatrician at Sheffield Children’s said: “Having a dedicated CF Unit allows us to provide a high quality service to our families as we can see them quickly in a low infection risk environment. We are hoping to use the money Alfie’s family has raised to improve the décor for our children and young people.

“Alfie’s story reflects the journey many of our families have, having a new baby and having your world turned upside down with the diagnosis of a lifelong, life limiting condition within the first few weeks of life. The CF team are privileged to look after our families from birth until transition to adult services, and Alfie always brings a smile to our faces!”

To support Alfie’s first birthday fundraiser please visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sophie-burtoft1.