Brave toddler who nearly died when she was born premature and has spent more than half her 27-month life in hospital enjoys first holiday thanks to tech upgrade

A brave toddler who nearly died when she was born premature and has spent more than half her life in hospital has enjoyed her first holiday thanks to a tech upgrade. 

Juniper Rayner, two, has battled complex medical issues including serious bowel problems, epilepsy and repeated infections – and has been in and out of hospital for the past 27 months. 

But despite being born more than three months prematurely at 25 weeks and weighing just 1lb 8oz, Juniper continues to fight back. 

Due to her medical issues, Juniper, from Stoke Golding, in Leicestershire, relies on a central line delivering vital nutrition directly into her bloodstream close to her heart. 

If it splits, she can bleed dangerously, leaving her parents needing to act quickly.

If her temperature rises above 38C she must be rushed to hospital immediately as there is a serious risk of sepsis.

And, because of bowel problems, she has also had an operation to give her an ileostomy, which drains waste from her tiny body into a bag through a valve in her stomach.

It means Juniper's parents also need to be in contact with the hospital as they come to terms with the special care that requires.

However disaster almost struck when her parents, Jamie Rayner, 40, and Lottie Scarborough, 38, took Juniper and her siblings Forest, eight, and Willow, seven, on holiday. 

The family were staying in a caravan at the Haven holiday park in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, when Juniper nearly faced a medical tragedy. 

Due to her complex medical needs, the two-year-old's parents need to be able to call for help if she suffers a potentially life-threatening emergency – which 'can happen at any time'. 

But there was no Wi-Fi or mobile phone signal anywhere near their caravan – until Haven stepped in and teamed up with phone provider Vodafone to help Juniper. 

Juniper's mother, Ms Scarborough, a paediatric nurse, said: 'We were so excited to get away on holiday. But when we arrived at Haven in Cleethorpes, we discovered we had no Wi-Fi and no 5G. 

'We panicked a bit because we need to be in contact in case of an emergency - and that can happen at any time.

'Then on the first day Juniper and I spent an hour and a half wandering around the one area of the park where we could get signal while we waited for the hospital to ring us back to help with problems with her ileostomy.'

Bosses at Haven and Vodafone heard of the family's plight and leapt into action. 

Within a few hours, a Wi-Fi router had been sent by courier to their caravan – and they were back online and in contact with vital medical support.

Ms Scarborough said: 'It was such a relief. We can't thank Haven and Vodafone enough for coming to our rescue. 

'This little holiday means so much to all of us and it would have been awful if we'd had to give up and go home.' 

The holiday park operator also ensured Amie the pink elephant – Juniper's favourite character from its 'Seaside Squad' – paid her and her two siblings a visit.

Juniper's father, Mr Rayner, who is a special needs teacher, revealed how his daughter fought to cling on to life and spent 11 weeks in hospital after she was born.

The two-year-old was delivered by emergency Caesarean when her mother suffered from life-threatening pre-eclampsia.

Mr Rayner said: 'Juniper was no bigger than our hand when she was born. She looked so tiny and helpless.

'It was a desperate time. Her organs were not fully developed and doctors in the paediatric intensive care unit at Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital did everything they could to keep her alive.

'Her lungs were like paper and they collapsed. Then she suffered a bleed on the brain, because the tissue in the skull was so thin that just moving her to feed her caused blood vessels to rupture.'

Her early days were marked by more serious complications. She suffered infections affecting her tummy and lungs, and the brain bleed later contributed to epilepsy.

After 11 weeks she was finally allowed home – but only because Ms Scarborough is a  paediatric nurse. 

Even then she needed daily oxygen for the first year of her life.

Within a week she was back in hospital with an infection and has since endured 15 hospital admissions and spent almost half her young life in hospital.

Her most recent major stay lasted two months, after severe problems with her digestive system left her unable to tolerate normal feeding.

Doctors diagnosed a condition known as pseudo-obstruction, in which the gut behaves as though it is blocked even when there is no physical blockage.

She underwent surgery to have an ileostomy formed and a feeding tube inserted into her stomach.

Despite everything she has endured, her parents have a remarkable reason to celebrate. 

'She was classed as developmentally delayed, but we're actually just caught up to all of her milestones for being two,' they said.

Juniper's daily care is an extraordinary operation for a family with three young children.

Every night, she receives parenteral nutrition, known as PN, through a central line leading into a major blood vessel close to the heart.

The procedure must be carried out using strict sterile precautions to reduce the risk of infection.

Her parents connect her to the nutrition each evening and disconnect her in the morning, carefully preparing equipment and keeping everything clean.

The line has split before, leaving Juniper with a life-threatening bleed and forcing her parents to clamp it.

For Jamie and Lottie, both of whom must be ready to manage the equipment, there is little opportunity simply to switch off.

Even leaving the house requires military-style preparation. For their first family holiday, they needed a drip stand, trolley, changing table and enough medical equipment to fill the boot of a large estate car.

Juniper's specialist nutrition also had to be transported in a cool box because, at home, it is stored in a medical fridge.

Changing her dressings can take around 45 minutes and is painful for the toddler. 

Her parents have to remove medical dressings stuck to her skin, while keeping her hands away from the sterile equipment.

To help her cope, they use children's programmes online such as Bluey and Miss Rachel to distract her.

Mr Rayner said: 'She gets more screen time than we want her to have but it helps distract her – hence the need to be able to stream the shows.'

Juniper's medical needs have affected every member of the family.

Her older brother and sister have had holidays and days out cancelled, while some weekends have meant travelling to hospital in Birmingham.

Ms Scarborough has given up work to care for Juniper. The family are managing on one salary, but life is financially tighter and the constant demands have taken a toll on their freedom.

She said: 'Some days are hard. Neither of us have any real freedom anymore.

'I have had to give up playing hockey and Jamie can no longer go to the gym… but we are just blessed to have Juniper in our lives.'

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