Abby Wilton of toddler Brock left fighting for his life after being struck down by a ‘common cold’

A mother has spoken out about the terrifying moment her 18-month-old son was left fighting for his life after being struck down by a ‘common cold’.

Abby Wilton, 37, from New Zealand, said her toddler Brock was born at 29 weeks prematurely in January 2018 so his lungs were not fully developed at birth, leaving him susceptible to life-threatening illnesses.

Last month, little Brock started experiencing cold-like symptoms such as a cough and a runny nose – but doctors simply put it down to ‘just a cold’.

However, just two days later, the toddler was rushed to ICU after his cold developed into a serious pneumonia and bronchiolitis.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Ms Wilton said her son remained ‘asleep’ for 10 excruciating days after he was sedated to allow his tiny body to fight off the illness.

Little Brock started experiencing cold-like symptoms such as a cough and a runny nose – but doctors simply put it down to ‘just a cold’

Ms Wilton said she was ‘absolutely horrified’ seeing her ‘lifeless’ little boy ‘asleep’ for 10 days

Ms Wilton said her little boy remained ‘asleep’ for 10 excruciating days after he was sedated to allow his tiny body to fight off the illness

‘I was absolutely horrified just seeing him so lifeless… and I was scared that he wasn’t going to survive this horrible illness,’ Ms Wilton told Daily Mail Australia.

‘All I wanted to do was hear his voice.’ 

As his condition deteriorated, Brock was airlifted from Wellington Hospital to Auckland’s Star Ship Hospital where he remained sedated after he struggled to breathe on his own while his parents waited anxiously by his beside.

‘He showed no improvement at Wellington Hospital after 24 hours, so we were sent to Children’s Hospital Starship in Auckland,’ she said.

‘We were coping terribly, we were so stressed and emotional… There were times we didn’t think he was going to survive because he wasn’t getting any better.’

But against all odds, Brock woke up 10 days later after showing signs of improvement – and the first thing he wanted was his beloved teddy bear.

‘He loves his teddy,’ Ms Wilton said.

Against all odds, Brock woke up 10 days later after showing signs of improvement – and the first thing he wanted was his beloved teddy bear

Abby Wilton said her toddler Brock was born at 29 weeks prematurely in January 2018 so his lungs were not fully developed at birth, leaving him susceptible to life-threatening illnesses

Little Brock with his father Adam Weaver, mother Abby Wilton and little sister Harper

But little Brock wasn’t fully recovered just yet after the high dose of morphine left him ‘shaking and sweating’.

‘He had been drug dependent on the morphine that was used to sedate him,’ his mother said.

And so the family had to stay in hospital so doctors could continue giving him small doses of morphine to wean him off.

The family was discharged on July 25 after Brock was given the all-clear.

‘We are home now. And Brock’s well for the moment but he still has very damaged lungs. So we are staying clear of high child populated areas to avoid bugs,’ she said.

‘He’s pretty much back to normal. Just a bit more tired then normal.’

By sharing their story, the mother wanted to warn parents about young children catching a cold.

‘It just starts with a common cold but because of his premature lungs, it turns into this for him and other premature babies or children with respiratory disorders,’ she said.

‘It might be “just a cold” to some people but that’s where all of this started.’