Seven-month-old Hailey was a “perfectly healthy baby” when she went for a check-up with a GP in Perth.
Mum Rebekah Ballingall was told her little girl was fine.
When Hailey woke up screaming and vomiting after being put to bed for the night, Ballingall knew something was wrong.
“She was still demanding formula but she wouldn’t take it,” she said.
“She was drenching through her nappies. She started shaking.”
Frantic, Ballingall was taking Hailey to the emergency department when she “went silent” in the car.
“I was freaking out,” she said.
Despite her fear, Ballingall and her husband thought little Hailey just had a virus or infection.
Doctors initially thought the same, chalking the baby’s symptoms up to gastro.
But a blood glucose check revealed Hailey was in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) — a life-threatening condition in people with diabetes when a lack of insulin causes harmful substances to build up in the blood.
DKA occurs when someone has a high blood sugar level and not enough insulin in the body to break it down.
Hailey was quickly transferred to Perth Children’s Hospital where she spent two days in the ICU.
“That was hard. A seven-month-old doesn’t understand she can’t have milk because of the sugar,” Ballingall said.
“She just screamed.”
Doctors praised Ballingall’s quick thinking with saving her daughter’s life.
“The doctors said she would have had 24 hours if I didn’t take her in,” she said.
“I’m glad I did and trusted myself.”
Now five years old, Hailey’s diabetes “doesn’t stop her” from enjoying her childhood, equipped with her Dexcom and insulin pump.
“She handles it really well,” Ballingall said.
“Her teachers are amazed at how brave she is.”
Navigating diabetes with a young child learning to crawl, walk and play all with her glucose monitor attached was no easy feat.
Hailey has made many trips back to the hospital over the years, with Ballingall admitting “trying to keep up with her is a challenge”.
“She doesn’t like the hospital and won’t let the nurses come near her,” she said.
“She gets panicked.”
Hospital visits are difficult for her brother, too, as Hailey’s stint in the ICU plays in the back of her family’s mind.
“My son is scared every time something goes wrong,” Ballingall said.
“He saw her in the ICU and it was very scary. He just turned five at the time.”
Discovering the hospital’s Starlight Express Room, a medical-free escape for sick children and their families to play, provided enormous relief for the family.
“It’s good for her to have somewhere she can go and talk about things that aren’t how she’s feeling,” Ballingall said.
“Every time she asks to go up. It’s like she’s home. It lets her be a kid again.”
Ballingall encouraged other families with sick children to explore what was on offer from the Starlight Foundation.
“It will help you escape all the treatments and stress,” she said.
“We didn’t realise how important it was.
“You can get lonely and they’re there to help.”
Hailey’s family are sharing their story in support of Starlight Day on May 21, which aims to raise $1 million by June 30 to help brighten the lives of 26,000 seriously ill children. To donate, visit starlight.org.au
