22/08/2025
Arlo was in Christchurch hospital for a week before he was transferred to Starship. He’d caught a stomach bug from preschool that turned into Hemolytic–Uremic Syndrome (HUS), a rare condition that can occur after an E. coli bacteria infection. It can cause damage to the lining of blood vessel walls and kidney failure.
Arlo’s kidneys started shutting down and his heart and liver were affected too. He needed specialist emergency care, fast. His Christchurch doctors called the Starship National Air Ambulance and the Paediatric Intensive Care (PICU) flight team came to get him.
It was Arlo’s first birthday. His mum Alisha says that it definitely wasn’t how they’d planned to spend the day! Despite the stressful circumstances “the Air Ambulance crew were very kind and made us feel like we were in safe hands. They watched Arlo closely on the trip to Auckland”.
On arrival at Starship Alisha says they were told that Arlo would most likely need dialysis, however after eight days of close monitoring, Arlo’s condition stabilised and his kidney function began to improve. He was transferred back to Christchurch hospital for another week, spending just over a month in total in hospital.
Arlo still has regular check-ups to ensure his kidneys are still working as they should be, however Alisha says he’s doing amazing now. "You would not know how sick this brave happy boy once was”
