Hank is our little miracle by Cassandra

Hank was born in October 2018. We felt blessed to finally have our little man in our lives. It had felt like a lifetime of waiting. 

Tragically, immediately after his birth Hank suffered a massive stroke with a quarter of his brain filling with blood and clots. We were devastated. 

The stroke caused Hank to have seizures. He couldn’t breathe and was placed on life support right there in front of our eyes. 

Once stabilised, our baby boy was transported by air from Rockhampton to Brisbane. We can’t thank Katrina and the team from Brisbane’s neo-rescue enough, they treated Hank like their own. He was so small and only hours old. 

Unfortunately, because Hank was critical, we couldn’t travel with him. Aaron and I drove the gruelling 700 km drive to Brisbane, wondering if our baby would still be with us when we arrived. It was horrible. 

At 3am we finally arrived and were reunited with our precious little boy. 

He had a wall of machines and cords keeping him alive, he was on life support and anti-seizure medication. The medical team were incredible, if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t have Hank in our lives. But it took three days to get a diagnosis of stroke – not knowing made us feel helpless. 

Hank was in neonatal critical care at Brisbane’s Mater Hospital for roughly 27 days. It was a long time, however he had family with him around the clock.

It is incredible how much fight Hank has. He had sepsis, a brain bleed and constant uncontrollable seizures, and yet he fought so hard. After a week he opened his eyes and two days later he started breathing on his own. 

Over the next week Hank was taken off life support and finally the cords were removed. The stroke left Hank with left-sided paralysis, cerebral palsy and epilepsy. 

Finally, we returned to Rockhampton. Aaron and I were fearful of the unknown, but Hanks fighting spirit is contagious and we’ve been better because of it. 

Hank has fought more battles in 10 months of life than most, however not a day goes by without cuddles and smiles. He really knows how to light up a room.
In a few short months we’ll be celebrating his first birthday, it’s a day we were not sure we’d see.

Hank has a lot on his plate, physiotherapy twice a week, OT, regular MRIs, doctors’ appointments, head measurements and swimming to help build his muscle tone. He takes it all in his stride.

This National Stroke Week we want to remind people that babies and children have strokes too. We want to remind people that with stroke the effects can be hidden. You will never know the effort Hank puts in every minute of every day. 

We appreciate the opportunity to share our family’s story.

Cassandra and Aaron