"Defying all predictions": Julius's story

When Katherine’s son arrived 13 weeks early at Queen Marys Hospital in Sidcup, weighing just 2lb 8oz, their journey seemed straightforward at first. But on day three, their world shattered with news of a grade 4/5 brain bleed. Julius needed immediate specialist care and was rushed to Queen Charlotte and Chelsea in Hammersmith, while his mother had to endure an agonizing wait until the next day to join him. Those hours of separation felt like an eternity for a mother desperate to be by her baby’s side.

The consultant’s words were devastating: if Julius survived – and they didn’t expect him to – he would be completely disabled, unable to walk, talk, or care for himself. What followed was a mother’s fight to keep hope alive against seemingly impossible odds.

Guest blogger: Katherine

When I arrived at the hospital the next day, exhausted and heartbroken, I was given a room in the family accommodation at Queen Charlotte and Chelsea Hospital. That small space became my anchor in a storm of uncertainty, allowing me to stay close to my precious boy as he fought for his life.

Those early days in the hospital were a profound mixture of hope and heartbreak. On either side of my room were families facing their own devastating journeys. One night, I lay awake listening to the sound of grief through the walls – one family receiving their child’s last rites from the hospital chaplain, another processing devastating news about their little one. The next morning, I passed a beautifully dressed baby in a Moses basket, and my heart shattered for those parents. Staying positive for Julius became both my greatest challenge and my most important task.

Through it all, I focused on what I could do for my son. When the nurses told me Julius was consuming more milk than I could produce, I didn’t hesitate to approve donated breast milk. “Give that boy everything he needs,” I told them, and they were amazed by his appetite – a fighting spirit that would come to define him.

After a week, Julius returned to Queen Mary’s Sidcup, where new challenges awaited. He was diagnosed with MRSA, cerebral palsy, and chronic lung disease. A heart murmur developed, though thankfully responded to medication. But Julius kept fighting, kept proving everyone wrong, and after three months, we finally brought our boy home – still hungry, still fighting.

Our hospital journey was far from over. When Julius was 15 months old, he faced more medical challenges that brought us to Evelina Children’s Hospital, where I stayed at Ronald McDonald House Evelina London, then located at Snowsfields near Guy’s Hospital. Over the years, Julius has undergone 31 procedures, including five leg surgeries, a PEG insertion, two tracheostomies, and two airway reconstructions. Through it all, he’s maintained his incredible spirit, even christening his orthopaedic consultant at Evelina with the nickname “Mr Cookie” – a name that stuck.

Today, Julius is 20 years old, and the doctors who predicted he wouldn’t survive can’t explain his remarkable achievements. He walks with a frame, speaks (actually, never stops talking!), and lives life to the fullest. He’s a model, plays Powerchair Football for Greenwich Powerchair Football Club, and is engaged to his fiancée, Grace. His neurologist, Dr. Sahi, remains amazed by his capabilities – all impossible according to those early predictions.

Looking back at our time in those hospital family rooms, I know they made a massive difference. Being close to Julius during those critical first days and during his later treatments gave us both the strength to keep fighting. Those small spaces became our sanctuary, allowing me to be there for every moment of his journey, both the heartbreaking and the hopeful.

To anyone considering supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities UK, I want you to understand the profound impact of your generosity. When doctors say, “We don’t know if your child will survive this,” all a family wants is to stay close. We need to eat, sleep, breathe, and find moments of comfort in the storm. That’s what Ronald McDonald House provides. When you support this charity, you’re holding families up when they can barely find the strength to stand. Thank you to those who donated all those years ago – without you, I wouldn’t have been able to be with my son when he needed me most.