Just days after Christmas, Ezra Goodjohn was rushed to a children’s hospital in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, with what his parents had assumed was the flu. Despite the doctors’ best efforts the 18-month-old tragically died that same afternoon.
Ezra’s mother Emma Chadburn, 28, and father Ryan Goodjohn, 29, want to tell their story and raise awareness about the sepsis that took their son from them. Sepsis is a very real threat to young children and often presents like the flu. It’s a terrifying experience that these two parents want to keep from happening to other families.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Mom Shares Scary Viral Post About Her Son Having Sepsis as a Warning to Other Parents
Parents of Ezra Goodjohn describe their little boy as “perfect.”
Two days after opening Christmas gifts, Ezra began to feel unwell. On December 28th, Ezra’s condition hadn’t improved and his parents said, “he wasn’t acting himself.” The couple assumed Ezra had the flu but knew things had taken a turn so they took him to an after-hours doctor for immediate care.
Ezra’s cause of death has not been confirmed. The hospital, however, has given a preliminary finding of sepsis. Sepsis is a life-threatening blood poisoning disease that occurs when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs.
It happened “horrendously quickly.”
Ezra’s dad, Ryan told The Daily Mail, “It happened horrendously quickly.”
He further described the situation, “Christmas Day and Boxing Day, he was fine then he came down with a generic cold that I’m sure thousands of parents go through with their children thousands of times. He was generally unwell and not himself. He was a bit sniffly and just had flu-type symptoms.”
He continued, “We thought he had a winter cold, just a general childhood illness. The doctor said he thought it was sepsis and sent us straight to hospital. We lost him in less than 48 hours from him showing any signs of illness.”
The family thanks the doctors for all of their efforts.
“The staff at Sheffield Children’s Hospital ICU were great, they could not have done any more for us,” Ryan said of the doctors and medics who treated his son.
Ezra’s grieving parents want to honor their son’s memory by raising awareness.
Ezra’s dad, Ryan told The Daily Mail that his son was “the perfect little lad.”
He told the publication, “He was a funny, cheeky, smiley little boy. He was just a perfect little lad. We had 17 months of fun times with him, we had no sad times. It hasn’t really hit home at all yet, he will be massively missed. We are both still really numb and really sore. It just hits home that nothing in life matters other than family and friends. You can have the nicest house in the world, but it means nothing if you don’t have family to share it with.”
Take this parent’s advice about your children’s health.
Ryan told The Daily Mail that parents should take their children to the doctor right away if their kids are displaying flu-like symptoms.
“It can be lightning fast. Don’t worry about it being only a minor thing or putting any extra stress on the NHS. That’s the best place for a child if there is anything wrong with them,” the grieving father advised. “If you have any concerns at all about your child, just take them to the doctors there and then. We did and unfortunately it just wasn’t enough.”
The family set up a fundraising page to help cover the costs of the funeral. Any additional funds raised will go to charity.
Be sure and follow Ryan GoodJohn’s advice and get your kid looked at by a medical professional immediately if they’re not feeling well. Sepsis poisoning can happen so fast and every moment counts.
Contents
- 1 Parents of Ezra Goodjohn describe their little boy as “perfect.”
- 2 It happened “horrendously quickly.”
- 3 The family thanks the doctors for all of their efforts.
- 4 Ezra’s grieving parents want to honor their son’s memory by raising awareness.
- 5 Take this parent’s advice about your children’s health.
Mamas Uncut is THE online place for moms. We cover the latest about motherhood, parenting, and entertainment as well – all with a mom-focused twist. So if you're looking for parenting advice from real parents, we have plenty of it, all for moms from moms, and also experts. Because, at the end of the day, our mission is focused solely on empowering moms and moms-to-be with the knowledge and answers they’re looking for in one safe space.