Family campaigns in baby Isabella’s name

Isabella Grace Senior was only a few weeks old when she developed bronchiolitis, an inflammation of the smallest airways in the lungs.

She passed away in February, aged 10 weeks, in the children’s paediatric intensive care unit at Leeds General Infirmary.

Now her parents, Ryan and Lyndsey Senior, hope to raise awareness of the condition and funds for hospital equipment.

Mr Senior, a member of Hanging Heaton Cricket Club, said: “We knew whether she survived or passed away, it was something we would be doing.

“Sadly, we can only give back in Isabella’s memory. The only thing we can look forward to is if that equipment is able to save another child’s life.”

The early symptoms of bronchiolitis are similar to those of a common cold and include a runny nose and cough.

The illness, usually caused by a virus, is most common between November and March.

According to the NHS, around a third of children in the UK develop bronchiolitis in their first year of life.

But Mr Senior, 30, said they had known little about it before Isabella fell ill.

“We had never heard of it,” he said. “Once they said what it was, we thought it would be okay and they would be able to do something.”

Around three per cent of babies with bronchiolitis need to go to hospital, with most discharged after two to four days.

Mr Senior, a police constable with Bradford division, was joined by around 35 colleagues on Friday for a 26 mile sponsored walk from Armley to Skipton.

The family is also hosting a fundraising concert at Batley Frontier on Sunday November 18 with comedian Billy Pearce and comedy hypnotist Grant Saunders.

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