Quinn's Battle

Hello, my name is Erin, I am 22 years old, and my sister thinks I'm off my head because I want to go to drastic measures to make people aware of what my family has been struggling with for a year. I’m going to be doing a skydive to raise money for Glasgow children’s hospital who has been looking after my niece who is a fighter, and the bravest little girl I'm lucky enough to call family.

What is Laryngomalacia

Laryngomalacia is a congenital condition, meaning it's something babies are born with, rather than a condition or disease that develops later on. About 90 percent of laryngomalacia cases resolve without any treatment.

It’s an abnormality in which the tissue just above the vocal cords is especially soft. This softness causes it to flop into the airway when taking a breath. This causes partial blockage of the airway leading to noisy breathing (stridor). About 90 percent of laryngomalacia cases resolve without any treatment. In some cases, it’s life-threatening and requires surgery and a lot of medication. In our case, this is what my nearly 1-year-old niece is struggling with.

Her name is Quinn and this is her story.

Quinn was diagnosed with Laryngomalacia at 5 days old. It’s been a long road where every day is different.

Her mum and dad had never heard of anything like this and were given no information regarding it. My sister was told to go home from the hospital on multiple occasions and Quinn would grow out of it. At one point my sister asked a doctor, “will she stop breathing in her sleep?” with tears streaming down her face, to be told no, just go home. It was a horrific and worrying time for all our family.

At 4 weeks old Quinn had a procedure with a scope that confirmed that she has laryngomalacia, and the doctors stated it was severe and she required emergency surgery. She was on oxygen and steroids as her wee body was working so hard she couldn’t cope.

If her parents hadn’t advocated so hard we wouldn’t be in the position we are today. Quinn still has her issues and she will be going in for more surgery in September. She is a happy baby but has her daily struggles that not many people see.

My sister and brother-in-law still go to bed worrying that Quinn will struggle so much with her breathing, and she won’t be able to cope.

Due to Quinn being born during the global pandemic, my sister and brother-in-law have had to deal with this with little to no support due to restrictions. My sister would be stuck in the hospital herself and my brother-in-law would be at home looking after Kaitlin, who is an incredibly supportive and understanding big sister (a lot like her mum).

Although Quinn has her good days, her fight is not over.

Quinn is coming up on her first birthday this September, in which our family is now allowed to attend due to covid restrictions being lifted, which we are fortunate to have. Shortly after her birthday, Quinn is going back into the hospital for an operation called Supraglottoplasty.

Supraglottoplasty is a procedure primarily performed for the treatment of laryngomalacia. In this procedure, the obstructing tissue is removed or altered to provide a more stable and patent airway.

Laryngomalacia is something not many people know about unless you or someone you know has had it or has gone through it. I would like that to change so people become more aware and more research is put into it and additional support is available.

I've chosen to do a skydive, as it's quite frankly terrifying and I wouldn't say I've ever been desperate to jump from 15,000 and free-fall for 60 seconds before the shoot opens. But I wanted to do something which would match the braveness of my family and what they've gone through.

Glasgow Children's Hospital has been incredible in helping my family through this, and it would mean the world to us all if you would be able to donate whatever you can to this cause.

I am hoping to jump in September but spaces are filling up quickly. October will probably be my best option as there are more spaces. The cost of the jump will be covered by my mum. Any and all donations are not expected but will be greatly appreciated which will go to the Glasgow Children's Hospital.

Thank you for your time and patience in reading our story.