“I’ve managed to overcome the most difficult time of my life” - Shelley's Story

In the summer of 2021, Shelley Masefield was 30 weeks pregnant and became seriously unwell with Delta COVID Pneumonia. Shelley needed specialist care urgently, to ensure the safe arrival of her unborn son and to save her life. Together with DSAA Patient and Family Liaison Nurse, Sam Rutherford, Shelley tells us more…

The Onset of COVID Symptoms

The majority of my pregnancy with my second son was a good time for me. I enjoyed working for my partner and took lots of long walks with family and friends in my free time. However, at the start of August, I began to suffer with COVID symptoms such as a high temperature, loss of smell and taste, and general cold-like symptoms.

A Rapid Decline

By the morning of the 5th August, I was in a very bad state. I was 30 weeks pregnant and after speaking to 111 and the Maternity Unit at Dorset County Hospital, it was decided that my partner Austin would drive me to the hospital to be assessed. Later that day, I was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit with Delta COVID Pneumonia. By 10th August my condition had become critical, the health of both myself and my unborn son was precarious. It was on this evening that the team of doctors at the hospital decided I would need specialist care and an emergency caesarean section to deliver my baby earlier than planned.

Emergency Air Transfer

Due to the severity of my situation, the team at DSAA were tasked to provide an inter-hospital transfer by air, to Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust for surgery. In normal circumstances, I am a nervous flyer and they took the utmost care of me during this flight!

Leo's Early Arrival

Baby Leo Wainwright was delivered safely in the early hours of 11th August and cared for in the Special Care Baby Unit. I was subsequently placed into an induced coma before being transferred back to Dorset County Hospital Intensive Care Unit approximately a week later for my ongoing recovery.

Ongoing Complications

Unfortunately, my condition continued to worsen over the coming weeks. So much so, that I was taken to Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London for urgent life-saving Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) therapy. ECMO is the use of an artificial lung (membrane) located outside the body (extracorporeal) that puts oxygen into the blood (oxygenation) and continuously pumps this blood into and around the body. ECMO is required for the most seriously ill patients who have failed to respond to other forms of mechanical ventilation. It supports the patient by taking over the job of their lungs and allowing their body to rest while medical and nursing teams apply other treatment methods.

Recovery and Reuniting

After spending six weeks in hospital receiving specialist ECMO therapy at Guy’s and St Thomas, I was gradually taken out of the coma from 18th September and transferred back to Dorset County Hospital. I eventually awoke on 25th September to meet my beautiful baby son for the first time and I was finally discharged home to be with my family. It’s been a long and difficult few years on my road to recovery but with the help of the NHS, various hospitals and DSAA, I’ve managed to overcome the most difficult time of my life.

Giving Back

On 5th October last year, I did a sponsored walk along Weymouth seafront to raise funds and awareness for the services that saved both my and Leo’s life. I’m pleased to say that I raised £543.40 for DSAA and hope these vital funds will help others like us, when they need help the most.

I have visited the DSAA airbase on two occasions now, meeting other patients and the team who flew us that awful night. It’s been a rollercoaster two years but without the help of many people and DSAA, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Myself, Leo and my entire family will be forever grateful for the role you have played in our lives. I look forward to our future and hope to raise more funds and awareness for the charity as the years go by.

VIEW FROM THE CREW: Sam Rutherford, Patient and Family Liaison Nurse

This inter-hospital transfer involved monitoring Shelley and the baby, while safely and efficiently transporting them to Portsmouth Hospital, which had a bed available and the specialist skills to meet their needs. The team remember Shelley’s transfer well and how nervous she was at the time. They spent time making sure Shelley’s breathing was adequate and her lungs were delivering sufficient oxygen while making her feel safe and secure during the flight.

I met Shelley at one of the charity’s airbase days. We talked through the event and I raised the idea of coming back to meet the crew who helped her that day. As she was feeling much better, she said she was ready to do this. Shelley came with her family to meet the team and say thank you, while presenting a cheque for her fundraising walk. It was lovely to see everyone and, of course, it was very special to see Leo again! We talked through details of the transfer and the crew answered some outstanding questions she had over a cup of tea. It was so nice to see the family in happier circumstances and everyone looking so well.

During the visit, Shelley, very generously informed me that she intends to use her lived experience to help others in the future, which is a wonderful thing to do. I am so pleased to have been able to offer my support to this family and wish them all the very best for the future.

The DSAA team that attended Shelley’s incident were: Stewart McMorran, Ben Channon, Mark Williams and Kev Rutherford.

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