Mother issues heartbreaking plea to support her ‘miracle’ 21-month-old in need of intense physiotherapy treatment

Almost two-year-old Codi, from Daventry, has fought hard for his life since he was in his mother Samantha Brown’s womb, being delivered prematurely as a surviving twin.

He has had a total of 10 operations since birth and still has to face many challenges ahead. His family is working hard to provide him with the best possible quality of life.

Samantha, 33, said: “For him to be doing what he's already doing is an absolute miracle. I just want to do everything in my power that I can to help him.”

Samantha was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome at the age of 21 and had to have a section of the cervix surgically removed.

Before she became pregnant with twins through in vitro fertilisation in February 2022, Samantha and her partner had been trying to conceive for almost eight years.

“We were very, very happy,” she said.

Samantha was under the care of the Northampton General Hospital until her water broke at 23 weeks pregnant, a few weeks after undergoing a cervical cerclage, also known as a cervical stitch.

This procedure was done to prevent the cervix from opening too early in pregnancy and to lower the risk of a late miscarriage or preterm birth.

“It was horrendous,” she said.

The soon-to-be mother was transported by ambulance to Sheffield's Royal Hallamshire Hospital that same day.

“It was just so scary because, at any point in time, I could have gone into labour.

“It was just absolutely heartbreaking,” she said.

Samantha was able to keep her twins in for an additional three weeks under the supervision of the medical professionals. She went into labour at 26 weeks, and an emergency caesarean surgery was performed.

“We were then told that they might not make it through the night because they're very, very unwell,” said Samantha.

Codi was born two minutes after Caleb, who was born first. The parents heard both babies cry, but they were taken from them immediately since Samantha contracted Covid-19 while at the hospital.

She was informed that she would need to be isolated in a room and would not be able to see her children for the first five days. However, on the second night, she was transported in a wheelchair to see Caleb because it was apparent he would not survive.

Caleb fought for six days before he passed away at 5.32 one morning, surrounded by his family.

“I got to feed him. I got to change his nappy.

“I'm glad that I had my dad, sister, brother, and everybody else there because they got to see him as well. They took him to a private room where we could have some time with him and make some memories,” said Samantha.

Samantha was offered family accommodation near the hospital to be close to Codi for the duration of their stay.

“Codi was so unwell, and we weren't sure he was going to make it either.

“His belly just went black. It was horrendous, and we couldn't feed him or anything,” said Samantha.

At just 26 weeks old, Codi weighed only one pound and six ounces.

He suffered several bleedings into the ventricles in his brain, with a grade four intraventricular haemorrhage on the right side of his brain and a grade three haemorrhage on the left side of his brain.

Codi had to undergo a surgical procedure known as a colostomy while he was in the hospital. A colostomy bag, also known as a stoma bag, is a small pouch used to collect waste from the body, fitted on one side of the abdominal wall.

A few weeks later, the procedure was repeated, and the bag was relocated to the opposite side of his abdomen.

“He's got a lot of scarring in his belly, like a lot of scar tissue,” said Samantha.

Codi arrived home on November 4, 2022, having been admitted to Leicester Royal Infirmary in September 2022 due to complications.

He had long-term oxygen therapy at home after being diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung condition that causes limited airflow and breathing difficulties.

Codi also had ventriculoatrial (VA) shunts fitted at Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham following his diagnosis of hydrocephalus, a neurological disorder caused by a significant buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles within the brain. The purpose of the shunts is to drain and transfer fluid from the cerebral ventricle into the heart's right atrium.

He underwent a total of ten surgeries before turning 21 months old and had his shunt refitted due to several issues.

“With it (the shunt) being in the heart, it's literally made to measure. So in two years, we will have to have it changed again. But they have said the end goal is to get it back in his belly," said the mother.

Codi spent around 186 days in hospitals before returning home.

Samantha said: “He's eating what I eat now. He's sitting up. He started to stand up. He's very interactive and very playful. A very happy little boy.”

Codi receives at-home physiotherapy and speech and language therapy once a month.

The family is currently raising money for an intense course of physiotherapy at All Kids Are Perfect in America to provide Codi with the best possible growth and development support.

“I just want to give Codi the best chance of independence I could possibly give him because he's just been through so much and he just always comes out on the other side, and he is smashing goals at the moment. I couldn't be more proud of him. I wouldn't change him for the world,” said Samantha.

Just4Children has stepped in to help raise the funds to make this happen. For more information and to donate to Codi’s fundraising campaign, visit the online page here.