At 16, Spike Ray should be embarking on his first steps to adulthood and independence.
But he won’t be learning how to drive next year, going to university at 18, or living independently in his twenties.
This is because Spike was left brain-damaged after catching whooping cough at just 11 days old. He was too young to receive a vaccine.
Now, his mother Susan is urging all pregnant women to get vaccinated amid an ongoing outbreak which has, so far, killed nine babies in England.
MailOnline revealed this week that whooping cough cases have surged by almost 2,600 in a single month.
More than 7,500 cases have already been recorded in 2024 — almost nine times the level seen across the entirety of 2023.
The NHS scheme to roll out the jab to mothers-to-be wasn’t introduced until 2012, two years after Spike was born.
Spike was left brain-damaged after catching whooping cough at just 11 days old. He was too young to receive a vaccine. Now, his mother Susan is urging all pregnant women to get vaccinated amid an ongoing outbreak which has killed nine babies in England. Here is standing with his parents Susan and Nicholas
The NHS scheme to roll out the jab to mothers-to-be wasn’t introduced until 2012, two years after Spike was born. Ms Ray, 59, from Henfield in West Sussex, said his condition was so bad she was told he only had a 16 per cent chance of survival
Despite making a miraculous recovery as a baby, Spike’s life was forever altered by the bacterial infection, medically called pertussis
Ms Ray, 59, from Henfield in West Sussex, said his condition was so life-threatening she was told he only had a 16 per cent chance of survival.
Despite making a miraculous recovery as a baby, Spike’s life was forever altered by the bacterial infection, medically called pertussis.
Ms Ray, who has been a midwife for 24 years, said: 'Every time I hear someone say they or their child doesn’t need the vaccine because whooping cough is „only a cough” I want to pull out a picture of my son hooked up to machines and covered in wires, fighting for his life in intensive care, when he was tiny and say, „Does this look like just a cough to you?”.
’The vaccine wasn’t given to babies as young as Spike was when he fell ill – only at six weeks old.
’Now it is given to pregnant women, before their child is even born to protect the child in the first few months of life, but there is a real lack of awareness about it, which makes me so angry.
’Had Spike been vaccinated he would never have become so ill and been left brain damaged.
’Babies are still dying from whooping cough, and it needs to be taken seriously.’
At just 11 days old Spike was rushed by Ms Ray to hospital after she noticed he was struggling to breathe and making grunting noises.
But she claims she was told it was nothing to worry about and was sent home.
However, after Spike’s symptoms failed to subside, she returned two days later where medics told her son had Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV).
She attended hospital again that evening after suspecting he may have whooping cough, as the family 'all had a cough’.
Tests later showed Spike had a very high white blood cell count — an indicator of the infection.
But it was only once he was transferred to Evelina hospital in London three days later, doctors confirmed he was suffering from pertussis.
Ms Ray was asked to bring him back to hospital where he was admitted and put into a special humidifier box to help him breathe. But it didn’t help.
Recalling Spike’s horrifying ordeal, she said: 'When Spike was being transferred to the Evelina, we had to stop in the ambulance twice on the way to stabilise him.
’By the time we got there his poor body was so bloated from the fluid they had to give him to support his heart that I wouldn’t have even recognised him as my baby.
’We were greeted at the door, and they rushed Spike past me into this glass cubicle where there were twenty people plus waiting.
’It was like something out of a science fiction movie. A consultant came up to me and asked, „Where’s your husband?” I said he was at work, and she told me „Your baby is probably going to die. There are decisions that are going to have to be made so you need him here”.
’Nicholas is a farmer so was in the middle of a field when I phoned him in tears.
’They said at best he’s got a 16 per cent chance of survival, I sobbed.’
She was told Spike’s best chance of survival was to transfer him to Great Ormond Street Hospital and put him on Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) — a special machine used to replace some of the functions of a patient’s lungs and heart and also filter his blood.
’ECMO was end of the line for Spike. Watching the process was beyond horrific and as a nurse of 14 years and midwife of 24, I have never seen anything else like it,’ Ms Ray said.
’They sedated Spike, then put two plastic tubes into his neck into an artery and effectively allowed his heart and lungs to rest.
’All his blood was then filtered outside of his body via a machine. It looked barbaric, but it was the only chance we had to keep him alive.
’I was convinced he was going to die as I didn’t think a baby that young could survive something like that.’
She added: 'He ended up having a stroke and a heart attack despite the treatments and did pull through, but after coming off ECMO he was still on ventilation for four weeks, then in hospital for another three weeks.’
’I am very grateful that Spike is alive, but he has been left with brain damage and I grieve for the child that I lost because he’s profoundly deaf, he’s got mild cerebral palsy affecting his left side.
At 11 days old, Ms Ray rushed Spike to hospital after noticing he was struggling to breathe and making grunting noises. But she was told it was nothing to worry about and was sent home, she claimed
However, after his symptoms failed to subside she returned two days later where medics told her Spike had Respiratory Syncytial Virus ( RSV ). She returned that evening after suspecting he may have whooping cough, as the family 'all had a cough’. Tests later showed Spike had a very high white blood cell count — an indicator of the infection
Whooping cough cases have surged by almost 2,600 in a single month, amid a spiralling outbreak which has terrified parents. Health chiefs say Covid lockdowns have fuelled England’s unprecedented epidemic of pertussis, nicknamed the '100-day cough’ because it’s notoriously hard to shake off
’He’s got very limited understanding, he has ADHD, his speech is very delayed, and he will need care for the rest of his life.
’Whooping cough has also damaged his lungs permanently and he must have antibiotics three times a week to protect him from chest infections.’
The whooping cough vaccination is routinely by the NHS for all pregnant women, ideally between 16 and 32 weeks pregnant, though it can be given up to the point of labour.
Doing so serves two purposes. Firstly, antibodies that can protect the baby from the infection pass through the placenta offering the newborn protection from whooping cough from birth and until they are old enough for their own vaccine.
Secondly, it reduces the chances of the mother catching whooping cough herself, and inadvertently passing it to her newborn baby.
The NHS states that babies whose mothers were vaccinated against whooping cough have a 91 per cent reduced chance of catching the infection compared to those born to unvaccinated mothers.
The whooping cough jab is considered incredibly safe and routinely offered to pregnant women throughout the world.
It comes amid fears the UK’s current whooping cough outbreak could be the worst in 40 years.
Nine babies have died since November, making it the deadliest outbreak in a decade. All were under the age of three months.
UK Health Security Agency bosses (UKHSA) have blamed the current outbreak on a steady decline in the uptake of vaccines among expectant mothers.
More than 7,500 cases have already been recorded in 2024 — almost nine times the level seen across the entirety of 2023. Nine babies have died since November. All were under the age of three months
Health officials warned that the infection is initially difficult to tell apart from a cold, as the first signs are a runny nose and sore throat. But around a week later, sufferers may develop coughing bouts that last minutes, struggle to breathe after coughing and make a 'whoop’ sound between coughs. Other signs of whooping cough include bringing up a thick mucus that can cause vomiting and becoming red in the face
Experts say this is due to a mixture of vaccine hesitancy in the wake of Covid as well as a lack of awareness.
The cancellation of many 'non-essential’ services during the pandemic and the consequence of lockdowns on immunity are also thought to have played a role.
Just a quarter of expectant mothers have had the pertussis jab in some boroughs of London. Rates are below half in other parts of the capital and Birmingham.
Uptake of the six-in-one jab – offered to babies in the first four months of life – are also at an all-time low.
The one lesson Ms Ray wants other parents to learn from her experience is that whooping cough is not 'just a cough’ and needs to be taken seriously.
She said: 'Spike needs lots of care and he’s never going to do what normal teenagers do.
’His level of understanding is poor, and he can’t even write his name. He may never have a family or get married.
’Looking after him is very hard work and I can’t lie – it’s had quite a big impact on the whole family. But we all love him so much and would never be without him.’
She added: 'Even though I’m a nurse, I could never have imagined whooping cough could have left my son like this.
’I stopped doing parent education classes, because the number of times I’d ask the girls, „Have you had your whooping cough vaccinations yet?” and they’d reply, „No, I’m not bothering as it’s only a cough” was shocking.
’I’d have to stand there and bite my lip and think to myself „Dear God if you only knew. If you only knew.”
’There’s not a day that goes by when I don’t wonder what Spike would be like now if he’d never had whooping cough or the vaccine had been available to him earlier.
’Whooping cough nearly killed him, and he has been left disabled because of it. Whooping cough is not „just a cough”. It’s a dangerous bacterial infection.’
Dr Andrew Whittamore, clinical lead at Asthma + Lung UK and practising GP, added: 'Babies under 12 months old who catch whooping cough also have an increased chance of developing pneumonia or experiencing seizures, dehydration or breathing difficulties, so parents need to be vigilant.
’If a baby or child gets coughing bouts that last for a few minutes or are worse at night, they may have whooping cough.
’If your baby is under six months old and has symptoms of whooping cough, or you are pregnant and have been in contact with someone who has it, make an urgent appointment to see your GP or dial 111.
Surveillance statistics show there were 2,591 cases confirmed in England in May, up almost 500 on the 2,106 in April. By comparison, 555 cases were logged in January, the UK Health Security Agency (UKSA) said
’If your child’s lips, tongue, face, or skin suddenly turn blue or grey and they are finding it hard to breathe properly, are having seizures, experiencing chest pain, or have a bad cough that is getting worse, dial 999 or go to A&E.’
Whooping cough, spread through coughs and sneezes, can initially be difficult to tell apart from a cold, with the first signs typically being a runny nose and sore throat.
But around a week later, sufferers may develop coughing bouts which last minutes, struggle to breathe after coughing and make a 'whoop’ sound between coughs.
Other signs of pertussis include bringing up a thick mucus that can cause vomiting and becoming red in the face.
Sufferers are infectious from around six days after cold-like symptoms begin to three weeks after their cough starts.
Doctors dish out antibiotics as treatment if the whooping cough is detected within three weeks.
However, if a person has been infected for longer, antibiotics will not speed up their recovery.
Whooping cough is less severe in older children and adults but can still cause sore ribs, hernias, ear infections and urinary incontinence among these groups.
