A woman whose young child was diagnosed with the same rare disease as Mrs Hinch’s son described her little boy's battle as a ''terrifying experience''. <br /><br />Ella Castle-Parker's tot, Caleb, one, was diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease (KD) in November 2022 after he developed bloodshot eyes, visible rashes, and redness on his lips. <br /><br />KD is a potentially life threatening condition, usually found in children under five, which causes swelling of the blood vessels throughout the body. <br /><br />Ella and her partner, James Elderkin, both 28, visited Croydon University Hospital A& E, but were sent home and asked to return if the symptoms persisted. <br /><br />Two days later his condition deteriorated when he developed a constant 40-degree fever, as well as swollen hands and feet. <br /><br />The young couple rushed their son back to A& E, where three heart scans within 24 hours led doctors to diagnose KD - a condition so rare it affects just eight in every 100,000 children in the UK each year. <br /><br />Influencer Mrs Hinch recently announced on Instagram that her son, Ron, three, is also suffering from KD — after he was rushed to hospital. <br /><br />Ella, who works as the head of sales for a travel company, from Croydon, south London, said: “Our experience is very similar to Mrs Hinch's in the sense that it was something I’d never heard of before and had no idea it could even be treated. <br /><br />''It was terrifying. <br /><br />''Our son was born 10 weeks premature - we felt we were out of the woods - and all of a sudden he’s got a rare disease nobody knew how to deal with. <br /><br />“Having Caleb get so poorly so quickly before our eyes is an experience I would not wish on my worst enemy.” <br /><br />Little Caleb was admitted to a high dependency ward and received high doses of immunoglobulin (IVIG), a pooled antibody used to deal with the inflammation resulting from KD.<br /><br />This treatment was pumped into the tot via IV drip and is the standard treatment option for the condition.<br /><br />Ella’s son stayed in the hospital for a total of five days, getting better in a matter of hours after starting treatment. <br /><br />Although doctors told the family they were confident they had caught it quickly enough, they warned it could damage the tot’s heart for life. <br /><br />Ella added: ''Only one of us could stay with Caleb and we felt really isolated. <br /><br />“We were in a bubble and nobody in the family could help us because they weren’t allowed to visit. <br /><br />''I can’t thank the staff enough for not only spotting such a rare disease, but treating it so swiftly and taking us seriously from the get go — we’ve minimised the chance of it having a lasting impact.'' <br /><br />The young mother reached out to Sophie Hinchliffe, also known as Mrs Hinch, after finding out via social media that her son was suffering from the same condition.<br /><br />She said: “I really feel for her as we've had the exact same experience, it's horrible.<br /><br />''You have to trust your instincts if you think something is wrong with your baby. You have to push until someone acknowledges it.
