Seriously-ill baby has eight surgeries in as many months as parents say ‘we are not giving up’

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Baby Hadley Shaw, just 8 months old, is fighting for his life in PICU at Birmingham Children’s Hospital after complications from multiple surgeries and kidney failure(Image: Shaw family)

The parents of a critically ill baby boy have said they are ‘heartbroken, terrified, and emotionally shattered’ but revealed they are ‘not giving up’.

Hadley Shaw, who is just eight months old, has spent the last four weeks fighting for his life at Birmingham Children’s Hospital after suffering from kidney failure and complications from multiple surgeries.

His dad, Jordan Shaw, and mom, Tamara Ellis, both 29, are spending alternate days and nights by their sick baby’s side so he is never alone.

The couple live in Worcester and are away from their three other sons, aged nine, five and four, as one of them makes the daily journey to Birmingham.

Speaking to BirminghamLive, Jordan said that brave Hadley is currently in the renal unit and has catheter lines put in him in preparation for dialysis, as well as strong pain relief.

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Baby Hadley Shaw, who is eight months, has undergone eight operations since birth

Jordan said: “We are heartbroken, terrified, and emotionally shattered – but we are not giving up.

“He’s spending his days lying in his cot and is asleep most of the time.

“His mum can’t sleep and cries – it’s stressful. The boys miss him and cry when we take them to school and when they go to sleep.

“They keep saying they miss Hadley and ask when he is coming back home.

“Emotionally, it’s like you’ve been shaken upside down and everything has been tipped out of our lives.”

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A heart-warming smile from beautiful Hadley Shaw

Hadley was born with a rare and complex combination of conditions – including a high-level anorectal malformation, stage 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD), and urethral stenosis.

Just 48 hours after birth, Hadley underwent his first major surgery at Birmingham Children’s Hospital to correct serious internal bowel and bladder defects.

The surgery left him with a stoma, and he spent the next seven weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

With only one working kidney, Hadley’s renal team are working tirelessly to keep him stable, managing his kidney disease with medications.

Their goal was to help him reach 15kg, the minimum weight required for a kidney transplant that could one day save his life.

On September 16, Hadley underwent a stoma reversal surgery, a life-changing operation his parents had hoped would mark the start of easier days.

But that glimmer of hope turned into heartbreak as Hadley spent the next four weeks in agony.

Then, on October 15, Hadley went in for his eighth surgery since birth to reverse the newly created anus and investigate his ongoing pain.

During the gruelling seven-hour operation, surgeons discovered multiple pockets of pus behind his bladder, unexpected internal malformations, and life-threatening complications from the previous surgeries.

They were told Hadley had suffered kidney failure and was placed on a ventilator in intensive care.

Hadley’s illness has not only put the family under great emotional strain but a financial one, too.

Jordan owns his own roofing company and has not been able to work for the last month, while Tamara is at the end of her maternity leave.

The exhausted parents have launched a GoFundMe appeal in the hope of covering travel costs to and from Birmingham Children’s Hospital, accommodation and meals during Hadley’s extended hospital stays.

It will also cover lost income while they remain at his side full-time and a family holiday to Disneyland Paris before Hadley has to go on dialysis up to five times a week.

Kind-hearted donors have raised more than £3,000 out of a £5,000 total since the appeal went live a few days ago.

They said: “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for supporting our little fighter, Hadley Shaw. Your kindness is helping us hold on through the darkest days of our lives.”