Surviving a nightmare all parents dread

LATE one Sunday night, Renee and Luke Bradstreet heard a "horrible" gasping sound from their two-year-old daughter's bedroom.

LATE one Sunday night, Renee and Luke Bradstreet heard a "horrible" gasping sound from their two-year-old daughter's bedroom.

Mollie was struggling to breathe.

"She was coughing and coughing, trying so hard to suck in some air and then she did this huge vomit and was fine again," Mrs Bradstreet said. "It was so shocking. She had been perfectly well with no symptoms of anything, just a bit of a runny nose."

The next night, the same scenario repeated, but this time Mollie - whose vaccinations were up to date - turned blue and was flailing her arms trying to breathe before going limp. The family GP sent Mollie to hospital where a nose swab confirmed whooping cough - even though Mollie had been vaccinated.

"She was very lucky because the doctors told me had she been younger or a baby she would not have been strong enough to get her breath back," said Mrs Bradstreet - who also tested positive to whooping cough, although her symptoms were limited to a throat tickle.

"Mollie is still coughing - every night around 10pm she has a coughing fit," said Mrs Bradstreet, who wants more public education on vaccination's importance.