Greymouth mum Tania Mcnillan (39) and her son Cooper Bugler (soon to be 12) are selling tees to raise money for the Starship Foundation. Photo / Supplied
Greymouth mum Tania Mcnillan (39) and her son Cooper Bugler (soon to be 12) are selling tees to raise money for the Starship Foundation. Photo / Supplied
A West Coast boy who nearly died at birth and needed eight minutes of CPR to bring him back to life is giving back to the healthcare workers who saved his life.
Tania Mcnillan couldn't see her blue-skinned baby boy slipping away.
The Greymouth mum was being treated on the other side of the hospital room while a doctor tried to bring her newborn, who wasn't breathing, back to life with CPR.
She already knew her brave bub was a survivor but it was the longest eight minutes of her life.
Cooper Bugler - who is now nearly 12 years old and "not fazed by much" - was born with a rare condition called Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF). It's a congenital heart defect causing oxygen-poor blood to flow out of the heart and into the rest of the body, making it difficult to breathe.
When Mcnillan went for her 21 week scan, she discovered Cooper had five holes in his heart and was told because of the complexity of his condition it was highly unlikely he would survive.
"I was told I should terminate and they booked the appointment. I was numb and it was a very hard to process, an emotional roller coaster ride.
"I just kept saying to myself that if he wasn't meant to be here he would do it himself. If it was that bad he would do it himself."
The day before the termination, Mcnillan had a video conference with a doctor at Auckland's Starship children's hospital who believed although there were no guarantees, there was a chance he could survive.
Cooper at six and half months old after undergoing open heart surgery. Photo / Supplied
He gave Cooper a one in three chance of surviving the birth and a one in five chance of reaching his first birthday.
"He's a miracle child and he reminds me every day," Mcnillan told the Herald on Sunday.
Healthcare workers again fought to save Cooper when he was 6 and a half months and underwent open heart surgery. He's also been through several emergency trips to Starship.
"It makes me teary looking at him now, when I was so close to losing him."
Cooper is due for another open heart surgery this year and Mcnillan says it won't be his last but he's a fighter.
He still manages to ride his bike, play computer games and enjoy the outdoors like any other healthy kid, she said.
This week Cooper is celebrating his 12th birthday - a real milestone.
And he and Mcnillan are helping to support the many doctors and nurses who saved his life by taking part in Starship Foundation's Bake It Better campaign and helping sell T-shirts she designed.
Cooper baked cupcakes last year but because of Covid this year they decided to come up with their own fundraising idea.
The shirts, which feature a design of their hands linked and a message "You are my magic," are being sold through Mcnillan's business Soul Creation. They have already raised more than $600 and all profits go towards Starship's campaign.
Mcnillan urged New Zealanders to donate saying, "you never know when you are going to need them".
To New Zealand families with sick children, Mcnillan said to not be afraid to ask for help.
"I hit rock bottom after Cooper's birth but I realised it's okay to say 'hey I'm struggling, can you come sit with me I just need someone to talk to over a cuppa".
The Bake it Better campaign
• Bake it Better for Starship is a fundraising campaign for September.
• New Zealanders of all ages can help raise vital funds for New Zealand's national children's hospital intensive care unit – whether they bake, buy or simply donate.
