Now, as little Miles celebrates his second birthday today, his dad has shared the family’s emotional journey through months of uncertainty, multiple operations and the local charity that kept their family together.
After an uncomplicated pregnancy and full-term birth, the couple had every reason to believe they were bringing home a healthy baby boy.
Their eldest son, Rene, then two-and-a-half, had visited his new brother in hospital, and the Atkinsons were looking forward to their first night together as a family of four.
But their happiness was short-lived, as Miles stopped feeding, and mum Rebecca immediately sensed something was wrong.
When visiting nurses were unable to help the following day, the family returned to hospital, and Miles was admitted to the neonatal ward.
‘Nothing went the way it was supposed to,’ said Charlie.
‘Very quickly our world became smaller – hospital corridors, monitors, procedures, and words we never expected to hear attached to our newborn baby.’
Miles’ stomach had become severely swollen, he was barely moving, and X-rays revealed that his bowel was not emptying properly.
‘We went from being happy and elated – all loved up with our new family – to within 12 hours being on the ward with our baby in a box, thinking, how did we get here?’ said Charlie.
Doctors arranged for Miles to be transferred to Southampton for specialist care, but with room for only one parent in the air ambulance, the couple faced an agonising decision.
Rebecca stayed behind with Rene while Charlie accompanied their seriously-ill newborn across the Channel.
A team of about 20 medical professionals met Charlie, who arrived in Southampton in the early hours of the morning, exhausted and frightened.
‘We still had no idea what was going on,’ he said.
‘We didn’t officially know what was going on for another four weeks, when he was diagnosed with Hirschsprung’s disease.’
The rare condition affects the bowel’s ability to move waste through the digestive system.
During that initial month, Miles remained in hospital, unable to pass stools normally, while his parents learned how to carry out bowel washouts and faced the possibility of having to continue the procedures at home. On the day he was diagnosed, Miles underwent surgery to fit a stoma, which he would need for the next five to six months.
Further operations were carried out to remove the affected section of bowel and eventually reverse the stoma.
Throughout it all, Charlie, who runs the garden design and landscaping business Terra Nova, and Rebecca, who owns Bohemian Beauty, were juggling the demands of their businesses alongside their children’s needs. Charlie said one of the hardest challenges was trying to protect Rene from the upheaval.
‘He was two-and-a-half years old. That’s a really formative time,’ said Charlie.
‘He was too young to understand why his parents kept disappearing. He only knew that his world kept changing and that the people who made him feel safe weren’t always there. So we were making sure that he was OK, too – that his wellbeing was OK and his needs were being met.’
The family faced the prospect of being separated for weeks, living on either side of the English Channel.
But accommodation provided by the Priaulx Premature Baby Foundation meant they could remain together in Southampton.
Nurses in Guernsey contacted the charity, which has three flats close to the hospital, as soon as they arranged Miles’ transfer.
Founder Jo Priaulx responded immediately to confirm that accommodation could be made available.
For the Atkinsons, it was a lifeline.
‘Our family would have ripped apart physically without it,’ said Charlie.
‘We wouldn’t have been able to meet Miles’ medical needs while also supporting the emotional and developmental needs of his brother and checking in on our own wellbeing as well. The flat mattered enormously.’
The flats were so close to the hospital that when Miles woke for a feed in the middle of the night, Rebecca could be at his bedside in the hospital within minutes.
‘The nurses would call, and Rebecca would put her coat on and run across the road to her baby – being so close meant they could just keep him going and give him a cuddle until she got there.’
For Rene, who is now four and just started school last month, the accommodation provided a sense of normality and stability during an otherwise frightening time.
His own bedroom, complete with his favourite Lego bedsheets, became a familiar comfort as the family travelled back and forth for Miles’ treatment.
‘It’s not just about the child who’s in hospital,’ said Charlie.
‘It’s about the entire family unit, making sure that that family stays together as best they can,
because it takes a strain on your relationship. It takes a strain on your family. So having all those extra stressors reduced – it really helped.’
Now on his second birthday, Miles is doing ‘fantastically’, according to his proud dad.
He will continue to need specialist check-ups every six to 12 months, potentially into early adulthood, but a recent appointment in Southampton brought welcome news.
An operation that they thought might be happening is not needed at present, meaning Miles will be enjoying his birthday surrounded by family at home.
Having shared their experience at PPBF’s Blingo fundraising event earlier this year, Charlie said speaking publicly about what happened had been emotional but somewhat therapeutic.
‘Giving that speech at Blingo was tough, really tough, but it helped. Every conversation we have about that whole experience helps as well.’
The family is now determined to give back to the charity which helped them through their darkest days.
During a recent visit to Southampton, they left chocolates and cards outside the doors of the charity’s flats, knowing only too well what its next residents might be going through.
‘We just want to do what we can for families that were in our position.’
With the PPBF’s three flats almost always fully occupied, Charlie hopes continued fundraising will help the charity expand its accommodation.
He encouraged islanders to support initiatives such as its Buy a Night campaign.
‘There are families there every day going through this terrifying time,’ he said.
‘What PPBF provide is incredible, and desperately needed.’
n To find out more, make a donation or support its initiatives, islanders can visit PPBF’s website at https://ppbf.org.gg/
You need to be logged in to comment.