A mother-of-three from Tunbridge Wells is taking on a fundraising challenge to thank the specialist teams who saved her son's life, after a common cold turned out to be a rare, life-threatening illness.

Caroline and Graeme May's world was turned upside-down when their five month old son Arthur came down with a cold in 2018.

When his symptoms showed no signs of improving, he was taken to hospital in Pembury where further tests revealed he had problems with his heart.

Arthur needed specialist treatment as was transferred to the specialist paediatric intensive care unit at Evelina Children's Hospital in London.

Crews from the hospital's South Thames Retrieval Service (STRS) - a team of intensive care doctors and nurses who transfer sick children in ambulances with specialist equipment - took care of Arthur on the journey.

Mrs May, 40, said: “It was such a surreal experience. As the sirens were going and the cars were pulling over to let us past, I was struck by just how serious the situation was and how every second the team spent treating Arthur mattered."

When Arthur arrived he was battling for his life with a heart function of just 11%.

He was diagnosed with a rare inflammatory condition called myocarditis, which means his heart can't pump properly.

It can be caused by a viral infection, such as a common cold, and in this case caused severe heart failure.

Fast forward two and a half years and Arthur is now a happy three year old, and despite his condition and need for ongoing care, he is just like any other child his age.

The family are having to be extremely careful through Covid-19 but Mrs May still wanted to find a way to fundraise for the teams who saved Arthur.

She has set herself a cycling challenge which she will complete from her home in Langton Green while caring for Arthur and his big sisters, Sophie, nine, and Olive, five.

Mrs May has set a target of 680 miles on her static cycle – which is 42.5, the miles travelled between the hospitals, multiplied by 16, the number of days Arthur spent at Evelina London - and hopes to finish on Friday, December 11.

The money will be split between Evelina London’s South Thames Retrieval Service and Tunbridge Wells Hospital.

Mrs May said: “Before we needed them, I didn’t know a service like STRS existed. But for families like ours, they can mean the difference between life and death.

“To be able to do what they do every day – seeing the sickest children, the most distraught families – and be able to act with both compassion and world class skill is something I’ll be forever in awe of.

“I’m not much of a sportswoman so cycling this distance at home is a real challenge for me."

So far she has raised £2,350 of her £20,000 target.

To help support her fundraising, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Tunbridge Wells