A RBWH patient miraculously lives after lungs fail thanks to fluke treatment

A dying Queensland woman who tearfully cradled her newborn as she said goodbye, has made a miracle recovery thanks to an unexpected medical treatment.

Tina Lee's new baby Henry.

A Queensland woman has told of life after tearful moments spent cradling her newborn baby as she mustered the words to say goodbye, expecting the little boy she had just birthed to grow up without a mother.

Tina Lee battled through cystic fibrosis to carry and birth her son Henry, however by the end of their journey the young mother’s lungs started failing.

Mrs Lee, from Yeppoon, was handed her newborn by hospital staff in what was deemed to be a last cuddle goodbye as she was considered to be on her deathbed.

Tina Lee expected a special hospital visit from baby Henry would be their last.

Mrs Lee was 34 weeks pregnant when she collapsed during an antenatal appointment.

She had just 15 per cent lung capacity, and Henry had to be delivered early.

He went on to be cared for in the NICU at Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, while doctors raced against the clock for a solution to save his mother at The Prince Charles Hospital.

She was not responding to conventional treatment so the a neonatal retrieval service team made an incredible journey with premature bub Henry to see his mother at The Prince Charles so she could say goodbye.

But to staff’s amazement, Mrs Lee’s lung capacity began to improve, with a combination of experimental arthritis drugs were used effectively for the first time in Australia for such an illness.

The improvements were so vast the young mother, who faced death, was able to go home with her little boy for the first time.

The Prince Charles Hospital Professor Peter Hopkins and his team had read about an overseas lung transplant patient who had “dramatic improvement” after being administered the rheumatoid arthritis drug, tocilizumab, however it had never been used in a cystic fibrosis patient in Australia.

Tina Lee and partner

“Most organ rejection can be treated with steroids, but I think this case has proven that sometimes they don’t work, and we do need to think about these other treatments,” Professor Hopkins said.

“In transplant, we’re always trying to think of innovative ways to treat our patients.”

Both mum and bub are now in good health and at home, enjoying the abundance of cuddles made possible through this lifesaving treatment.

Tina will return to Brisbane regularly for check-ups, but was currently simply enjoying being a mum.

“I still have to pinch myself most mornings when I see him,” she said.

“He’s just beautiful.

“Being able to wake up and do the night feeds and change the dirty bums, I get so excited,” Tina said.

“It’s the best chapter of my life yet.”