A couple from Bradford have described their daughter as a “fighter” after her heart swelled to “cover most of her chest” and doctors warned she might not survive. Zoe and Steven Taylor’s daughter Ada-Mai, now two, was healthy until she suddenly stopped feeding and went “completely pale and lifeless” one evening.
At hospital, scans confirmed her heart was massively enlarged, covering most of her chest and failing to pump blood properly around her body. After two weeks of investigations, doctors discovered she had cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, and told the couple her chances of survival were slim.
Sudden Illness and Emergency Treatment
Ada-Mai was born in March 2024, and her parents said “everything seemed perfect” at first. At around five months old, she stopped feeding and seemed “tired all the time”. After a day with no change, they took her to the doctor and were told to go to Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI) in case she needed fluids.
At the hospital, doctors found her heart rate was around 185 beats per minute (bpm) and kept her in overnight. According to the NHS, the normal range for a baby’s heartbeat is between 110 and 160bpm. She was discharged the next day, but her heart rate remained high.
“That evening, while I was making tea, Zoe started calling for me. Ada-Mai had gone floppy in her arms, completely pale and lifeless, so we rang for help straight away,” Steven said. An ambulance returned them to BRI, where a scan revealed a shadow on her heart and confirmed it was massively enlarged, pressing against her tiny chest.
Diagnosis and Hospital Stay
Ada-Mai was transferred to Leeds Children’s Hospital by a specialist transport team. She spent three weeks in intensive care, needed two blood transfusions, was resuscitated twice and was “hooked up to all the machines”. At one point, doctors had to feed a tube through her foot and groin because they “couldn’t find any veins”.
After two weeks of testing, doctors confirmed Ada-Mai had cardiomyopathy, triggered by a parvovirus infection. Parvovirus B19, also known as slapped cheek syndrome, is most common in children and usually causes a bright red rash on the cheeks, the NHS says. The couple were told her heart should have been the size of a fist, but it was “covering most of her chest” and she had a “very slim chance of surviving”.
“We were told there were four possible outcomes: she might not survive, she might need a heart transplant, she might live with a lifelong condition or, and this was the least likely, she might recover fully,” Steven said.
Recovery and Support
While at Leeds Children’s Hospital, the couple stayed at Eckersley House, a “Home from Home” run by The Sick Children’s Trust charity, which they called their “sanctuary”. The Sick Children’s Trust and Bradford Hospitals Charity are working together to raise £3 million to build a new five-bedroom “Home from Home” beside the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at BRI. Construction has started, with an opening date set for spring 2027, and the charity said the home is expected to support more than 500 families every year.
Ada-Mai slowly regained her strength, and her heart function started to return to normal. After six weeks in hospital, the family were discharged, having learned to administer nine medications for Ada-Mai. Now, she is no longer on medication, her heart has returned to a normal size, and she is enjoying nursery.
“Even now, when we go back for check-ups, the nurses and consultants remember her,” Steven said. “She’s become well-known across the Leeds and Bradford hospitals. Everyone’s amazed at how far she’s come.”
Speaking about Ada-Mai’s journey, Zoe added: “She’s just done amazingly well. I think she’s a fighter. She’s tough as well – if she falls or anything, she doesn’t cry. We’re incredibly proud of her.”
