Baby Oryn’s coronavirus scare makes me realise just how precious the NHS is – Hayley Matthews

When baby Oryn’s temperature hit 40 and his breathing became fast and shallow, Hayley Matthews dialled the 111 NHS helpline, which decided to send an ambulance.

Doctors, nurses and other staff in the NHS deserve all the support they can get (Picture: Getty)

If I could sum up the last week for you all, I’d probably best do it with a picture. A picture of me holding baby Oryn with his wee eyes all red, a big streaming runny nose and a big dollop of a feel-sorry face on.

The only time I’ve laughed this week is when he fingered Maxi cat’s bum hole then put his finger straight in his mouth. It wasn’t the finger licking that I laughed at but more of the face little Maxi made, which I can only describe as his surprise face – a bit like someone who’s just been told that they’ve won Love Island.

But it’s all about the small laughs that keep us all going, isn’t it? I’ve done my best to not let things get out of perspective because there are so many people suffering in the world right now that our little spell of snot really isn’t that bad. It has been a rough week with Oryn not well at all, my mum still in hospital and the school holidays thrown in just to test my patience. However, I’m still putting perspective on things and finding the good in every situation. As Deepak Chopra says in his meditation videos, obstacles and challenges can be turned in to opportunities.

On the snot – I’m not quite sure if it’s a younger sibling thing, the whole constantly catching germs off your big bro or sis, or if we’re not washing our hands properly but last weekend saw us visit the Sick Kids – again. After a few hours of Oryn crying and being generally unwell he took a turn for the worse. His breathing was fast and shallow and his temperature was a whisker off 40C. I was happy to ride it out but Mr Hayley was feart of the coronavirus so I was urged to call 111.

On answering many questions they decided to send an ambulance. My good friend Kathryn took Harris for fish and chips whilst I sat in the back of the nee-naw car with Oryn looking very sorry for himself.

On arrival at the Sick Kids – as I’m sure has happened to many parents before – the patient perks up. Oryn was a lot lot better when we arrived, which I’m very glad about.

This always seems to happen though when calling the doc for an emergency appointment. Nine times out of ten there is such an improvement that I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s uttered the words “honestly, he was really unwell an hour ago”.

What is lovely to hear from the staff at the Sick Kids is that this is their desired outcome. A high fever can do strange things to kids and the doctor told me it sounded like Oryn was just trying to deal with a very high temperature. She was delighted to see him perk up in the room and sent us home with a throat spray for his massive red tonsils.

I know I must sound like a broken record when I talk about the NHS but we really do have an incredibly valued institution here and I always feel that the nurses, doctors and other staff who run the ship really deserve all the support they can get.

It always amazes me to witness the entitled attitudes and rudeness of some people towards NHS staff and it makes me so angry. I feel eternally grateful for the NHS and especially in times of the coronavirus where we’re seeing horrific reports of people incredibly ill and dying.

We are very lucky to have a healthcare service that is outstanding. So if you do need to use the NHS over the weekend – be nice to the staff please.