Brooke Atkins: Mom slammed for lasering off baby's birthmark reveals how she nearly lost him
GOLD COAST, AUSTRALIA: Brooke Atkins, who was trolled online for lasering off her baby boy's birthmark, has revealed how she dealt with a life-threatening episode after her one-year-old son suffered a serious seizure in March. Kingsley Colvin was born in February 2022 with a large "port wine stain" birthmark on his face that was linked to Sturge-Weber Syndrome.
The rare birthmark, which covers half the baby's face, was reportedly also a sign of glaucoma and brain abnormalities that led to severe epileptic seizures. The mother of two recalled how she frantically called the ambulance last month when Kingsley had a 15-minute seizure during an afternoon nap and stopped breathing momentarily.
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"It was the longest we had waited for an ambulance - 20 minutes - but thankfully he slowly started breathing again. When paramedics arrived we waited for someone to pick my daughter up - what we didn't realize was Kingsley was still seizing at this time," Brooke told the Daily Mail. She said Kingsley started turning blue as his oxygen levels kept dropping despite wearing an oxygen mask. They arrived at the hospital only about an hour after he started seizing. The baby's condition kept getting worse as his body was shaking uncontrollably. Doctors managed to get the seizure under control after a harrowing two hours. Brooke recalled fearing she would lose her little baby boy.
'He got worse and worse'
The 33-year-old mom said doctors at Gold Coast University Hospital "immediately knew" Kingsley was still seizing when they arrived. "His seizure can look so mild with subtle twitches of the hand and foot - they rushed him into the resuscitation room and attempted to give him two more lots of his rescue meds but it wasn't working," she continued. "The next thing they could do was put the next line of rescue medication through a cannula, in hopes it would stop the seizure. Unfortunately at this time, his focal seizure had turned into a generalized seizure and his whole body was convulsing. As they struggled to get the cannula in, he got worse and worse with breathing."
Diagnosed with Sturge-Weber syndrome
Brooke remembered sitting on the emergency room floor and crying after doctors told her Kingsley would require critical care in order to breathe. After about an hour, doctors told the distraught mother they had managed to stop the seizure and that her son had started breathing normally again. The boy then had a CT scan and X-ray before doctors confirmed his Sturge-Weber syndrome was the cause. "Our neurologist has since put a structured plan in place with the emergency services to help prevent this from occurring again," Brooke explained. "She also put a plan in place with the emergency ward, pediatric ward, and critical care unit at the Gold Coast hospital, which is amazing! Unfortunately, this is something we'll have to deal with for life or at least the next few years."
The seizures can be fatal
Considering there is no cure, Kingsley's conditions require close observation and maintenance. He was diagnosed with both glaucoma and Sturge Weber Syndrome (SWS) shortly after birth and began seizing from epilepsy in October. According to the Daily Mail, the boy has seizures three times a week, but they have never been as severe as last month's ordeal. It's important to note that glaucoma can also cause blindness and other disabilities. And while the port-wine stain itself isn't something to worry about, the seizures can often be fatal.
"We can't tell when he's about to have one, but when he does his hands and feet subtly twitch, then we give him rescue medication," Brooke told the outlet. She said she gives her son medication every day, which constitutes four tablets in the morning and three at night along with eye drops. Kinglsey has already been hospitalized six times this year, but his mother says he's the "happiest baby" who is always smiling despite his struggles.