A six-year-old girl who stopped breathing for 16 minutes before doctors could resuscitate her has been gifted a festive wonderland in her own home – after her mother got crafty with boxes used to supply her life-saving medicine.
Brave Erin Sadler, from Colchester, who lives with conditions including kidney disease, severe hypertension, heart complications and a bowel disorder went into cardiac arrest earlier this year, leaving her mum Helen, 41, thinking she’d lost her little girl.
Mum Helen, 41, held ‘dying’ Erin in her arms as she struggled for breath on July 23rd before her daughter was whisked away by hospital staff after she stopped breathing. She then endured ‘the longest sixteen minutes of my life’ before medics detected a pulse and revived her.
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Erin Sadler, six, from Colchester, lives with a variety of conditions including kidney disease, severe hypertension, heart complications and a bowel disorder. Earlier this year, the youngster went into cardiac arrest and ‘died’ for 16 minutes before doctors were able to save her life
Erin’s clever mother Helen decided to use the mountain of cardboard that houses Erin’s medical supplies to make a show-stopping winter wonderland scene for her daughter to enjoy
Crafty mum! Erin with Helen (right); the mother says when her daughter stopped breathing, it was the ‘longest 16 minutes of her life’
Her mum has now built a shimmering winter wonderland scene in the conservatory at Erin’s grandfather’s home by re-purposing Erin’s boxes of vital medical supplies.
Houses are dotted in front of the Disney-style castle, while penguins, seals, wolves, and polar bears wave to Erin from atop her old parcels of medicine.
Around 1,000g of fake snow rests on top of around 20m of white garden bedding and 10m of netting on the conservatory floor.
And a glistening waterfall – made from newspapers, blue paint, and cling film – flows over a rocky mountain top against the conservatory wall.
She used empty boxes of antihypertensive medication, medicines prednisone, and dalteparin, as well as syringes and boxes from Erin’s feeding bags.
Helen spent up to five hours a night four nights-a-week making the 5ft castle display covered with gems and jewels, papier mache, and paint and she plans to re-create the scene every year for her daughter.
Five months on since Erin’s devastating near-miss, the little miracle is now enjoying a the bespoke Frozen scene.
It sits in the conservatory so Erin can gaze at it through the doors – looking like a magical Christmas scene.
Helen said: ‘She was out cold – she had no pulse, and she’d stopped breathing.
‘I was hoping for a miracle, some way of bringing Erin back to life. But at 16 minutes they got a pulse.
‘I started making the ‘Winter Wonderland’ and because I don’t sleep anymore, I would build it at night.
‘I found that it was like therapy – it really took my mind off of everything for a moment, and I could focus just on creating a magical scene for her.
Helen says that everything about the creation ‘is made on the cheap’ and the medical boxes are all covered in papier mache and paint, so Erin has no idea where the cardboard came from.
Erin pictured in hospital; she struggled for breath before being whisked away by hospital staff after going into cardiac arrest
Helen says the project of creating a festive scene – housed in the conservatory at her dad’s Essex home – became like therapy for her
For safety reasons, Erin isn’t allowed to go into the conservatory because her mum doesn’t want her to fall over any of the creations.
She explains: ‘But she sits by the window and just looks at it – she’s captivated. Erin loves her ‘Winter Wonderland’, for sure.’
Erin was living with an unspecified kidney disease leading to chronic kidney failure, portal hypertension, immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), severe hypertension, heart complications, and bowel disorder – all before her cardiac arrest in July.
She was taken into Colchester General Hospital on July 23rd due to abdominal pain.
The doctors did everything they could to bring Erin back to life, and they succeeded. It wasn’t a miracle, it was talent, wisdom, and hard work…
Doctors had diagnosed a chest infection leading to serious respiratory problems – and ultimately a cardiac arrest.
Helen watched medical professionals attempt to retrieve a pulse for ‘the longest 16 minutes of my life’.
Erin, whose heart had stopped breathing, went into full respiratory failure minutes while hospital staff worked constantly to treat her.
They gave Erin constant chest compressions while shocked Helen looked on.
Helen said: ‘It was intense, frightening – I didn’t really know what to think or say.
‘A lot of people have told me it was a miracle, but I don’t agree – with hindsight, we were around the right people at the right time.
‘They did everything they could to bring Erin back to life, and they succeeded. It wasn’t a miracle, it was talent, wisdom, and hard work.’
For the next seven days, Erin was in a near-comatose state in the Great Ormond Street Hospital intensive care unit as Helen watched on.
The fairytale castle in progress – Helen used every inch of the cardboard to create enchanting scenes not dissimilar to Disney’s Frozen film
When the castle was made, the crafty lady used gemstones to make it sparkle
After being admitted to hospital on July 23rd this year, Erin’s tummy pains quickly turned into a living nightmare, with mum Helen fearing her daughter would die
In a ‘make-or-break’ decision by doctors to wake her up, Helen held her breath – and gasped when Erin looked at her and said: ‘I love you, Mum!’
‘It was heartbreaking, but I felt this relief rush over me’ Helen revealed. Erin is loving, considerate, very funny, and just absolutely amazing.
‘She’s been through so much pain already in her six years, and it frightens me to think what she could face this time next year.
‘Erin has a disease for every year of her life, if not more now. But she’s fantastically brave, and somehow manages to cope with everything.
‘Hospital has become a second home to her, and she gets on really well with the normal staff and our consultant, Dr Andrea Turner.’
Another pretty house made entirely from cardboard; Helen has spent up to four hours a night on the scene in recent weeks
Erin pictured meeting Santa; the little girl was transferred to Great Ormond Street Hospital intensive care unit, as worried mum Helen looked on
‘And she absolutely loves to sing – she’s a big fan of these new Disney movies [2015’s Descendants] and sings her heart out.
In a ‘make-or-break’ decision by doctors to wake her up, Helen held her breath – and gasped when Erin looked at her and said: ‘I love you, Mum!’
‘Hers is an amazing story of survival, and she’s received so much support and love over the years, but especially since the cardiac arrest.
‘I want to show her off to the whole world, I love that people care about her.
‘Because she’s so young, I think she possibly copes with everything better than I do.
Helen says she’s been filled with dread since Erin’s health took a turn for the worse at the beginning of 2016 and says she fears ‘what else she’ll have to endure’.
‘And at the end of each holiday, when we bring the scene down, I burn all the boxes, so that we can start every year afresh.’
The Ice Queen, who looks over the Narnia-esque landscape, was made from a balloon mould, cheap Halloween wig, and wooden body frame.
Ta da! The stunning winter scene has transformed the family’s conservatory – Helen will pack the wonderland away for next year in January
‘Fantastically brave’: Hospital has become a second home for the six-year-old
Erin’s ‘Winter Wonderland’ will be on display at her grandfather Philip Sadler’s house in Colchester, Essex through to early 2020.
Though other kids this Christmas can ‘go to the shops and wait in line to see Father Christmas’, Helen said she was ‘bringing Christmas to Erin’.
She bravely revealed that Erin ‘may not make her teenage years’ – but her child ‘inspires’ her to ‘live life to the full’ and ‘make the most of every day’.
Despite suffering a hypoxic cardiac arrest, Erin miraculously avoided brain damage, and can remember everything before the trauma.
Though she was finally discharged from hospital on August 31, Erin’s cardiac arrest has led to pancreatitis and deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
She’s had 110 blood transfusions in total, and has 28 doses of medicine every day.
Despite these hardships, her proud mum Helen described Erin as a ‘bundle of joy’ with a ‘wicked sense of humour’ and passion for singing.
On December 2, Helen took Erin to Colchester General’s annual Christmas party – where the six-year-old sang Disney tunes in a mic for everyone.
Dressed to impress in her little Christmas dress, with holly painted on her face, she even met Santa Claus in his cheery grotto.
Helen revealed that Erin asked for a VTech yellow camera, Nintendo Switch and Pokemon game, and Novie robot toy for this Christmas.
She added: ‘Don’t you worry, Santa’s got it covered.’