Wearside family faced life-or-death health battles for two children at same time

A mum has revealed how one of her sons almost died - while another son was waiting to go into hospital for major surgery.

Rachel Ferguson, from the Houghton area, looked back on her 'horrendous year' in which her children Jacob, 15, and Benjamin, 12, both battled for life.

Two sons, two health battles

Jacob needed a £15,000 operation to stop his heart and lungs from being crushed.

But at almost exactly the same time, Benjamin's organs began to shut down for no apparent reason.

Three days before Jacob's operation was due at the Portland Hospital in London, Benjamin was rushed into Sunderland Royal Hospital.

Tests showed he had Type 1 Diabetes. Poisons had begun to take over his body, and eat away at his muscles.

'It came completely out of the blue'

Without treatment, he could have slipped into a coma and died, said his mum.

Rachel said: "It came completely out of the blue. No-one in the family has diabetes.

"He just plummeted."

The family consists of dad George Ferguson, 44, mum Rachel Ferguson, children Hollie, 20, and Eve Ferguson, 18, and Jacob, 15, Isaac, 14, Benjamin, 12, and Joel, nine.

Benjamin was 'breathing like an old man' and was transferred by his doctor to hospital as a Category 1 patient, said mum.

"They had to work on him for hours and get rid of the poison, and then they had to build him up again."

Lots of monitoring for Benjamin

Benjamin is now back home and his insulin injections, blood glucose tests and diet all have to be monitored.

Rachel said: "It was extremely stressful, knowing that Jacob was so poorly at the same time." Jacob faced a completely different fight for life.

Coughing ripped his cartilage from his ribs

In July 2022, he got a chest infection during a two-week foreign holiday with his family.

He was confined to bed and coughed so hard, it ripped his cartilage from his ribs.

It was all caused by a rare condition called Pectus Excavatum and it meant his rib cage was growing inwards and causing the sternum to sink into his chest.

His internal organs only had 1.5 inches of space.

His lungs were being crushed

He eventually had his operation four days after Benjamin was rushed into hospital.

Earlier this year, a fundraising appeal was launched with his caring sister Hollie Ferguson leading the campaign to get help.

A Washington company Peak Body Nutrition as well as Sunderland Echo readers helped to pay for the operation costing almost £15,000 at the Portland Hospital in London.

Jacob had metal bars put in his ribs and is also doing well now. He can even lift 10kg weights and can't wait to start proper training in the gym.

'If we had left him that night, I don't think he would be here now'

Rachel shared Benjamin's story with the Echo to highlight how Type 1 Diabetes can strike with no warning at all.

"If we had left him that night, I don't think he would be here now. No-one knew he had diabetes. It came completely out of the blue."

She praised the 'brilliant' team at Sunderland Royal and admitted: "As a mum you have all that worry and we were trying to pay for Jacob's operation as well.

"We would look at Benjamin lying on the table and not know what it was."

Symptoms of Type 1 diabetes include feeling very thirsty, feeling very tired, losing weight, blurred vision, going to the toilet more often especially at night, and cuts and grazes that are not healing.

To find out more, visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/type-1-diabetes/