Garstang nurse saves life of neighbour’s baby

A Garstang district nurse saved the life of her neighbour’s baby when it suddenly stopped breathing.
Nurse Angie Bose holds baby Carmel with neighbour Alan Widdows, right, pictured with, from left, Carmel's brother Vinnie, nine, dad Steven Poole and mum Rachel Booth.Nurse Angie Bose holds baby Carmel with neighbour Alan Widdows, right, pictured with, from left, Carmel's brother Vinnie, nine, dad Steven Poole and mum Rachel Booth.
Nurse Angie Bose holds baby Carmel with neighbour Alan Widdows, right, pictured with, from left, Carmel's brother Vinnie, nine, dad Steven Poole and mum Rachel Booth.

Angie Bose rushed round to help her neighbour Rachael Booth when baby Carmel Poole, who was just one month old, stopped breathing.

Mum-of-five Rachael says it is a “miracle” that she can celebrate Christmas with her baby after Angie and other neighbours rushed to her aid.

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She dialled 999 and asked Carmel’s nine-year-old brother Vinnie Cryer to run from their home in Chorley, to get help from neighbours.

Alan Widdows and Angie Bose, who works in Garstang as a district nurse, carried out CPR on Carmel until paramedics arrived. And after spending six days at Royal Preston Hospital, Carmel is now back at home and doing well.

Rachael, 27, said: “I’m just so lucky to have her and to celebrate Christmas knowing that we have her.

“It’s a miracle really.”

Little Carmel had been coughing and was diagnosed as having a common cold.

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But the following day, Rachael knew something serious was wrong when Carmel’s eyes rolled into her head, the colour drained from her and she became floppy.

Rachael, who is also mum to one-year-old Casey, Kayla, four, and Faye, eight, said: “It was horrible. I can only describe it as the most scary day of my life. By this point I was getting quite hysterical.”

Vinnie knocked on neighbour Alan’s door and told him the baby had stopped breathing. Alan, 69, went to the house, took Carmel and started doing resuscitation. He also told Vinnie to get help from nurse Angie.

“He ran out in his stockinged feet. He was a little hero. He deserves all the praise, he was fantastic,” he said.

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Angie, 45, was getting ready for work when Vinnie knocked on her door.

She said: “He asked if I was a nurse and I said yes and he said, ‘Quick, quick, come, you need to help us’.

“I went to the house. I saw little Carmel on the floor, not looking well at all, not breathing. I did routine checks and did CPR on her. I had to breathe for her and do compressions.”

Carmel started to breathe a little and making some noise, but Angie continued doing CPR until the paramedics arrived and took over.

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Rachael and her partner Steven Poole were told that the first 24 hours were “extremely critical” and Carmel stopped breathing several times. She was diagnosed with bronchiolitis, a lower respiratory tract infection which was serious due to her age.

She was allowed to go home six days later and is now doing well.

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