Seven-year-old scales Wales’s tallest mountain in thanks for sister’s life-saving care

An intrepid seven-year-old has scaled Wales’s tallest mountain, raising £1,500 for our charity as a thank you to the doctors and surgeons who saved her little sister’s life.

Esmae Cookson, from Kidderminster, climbed 1,085m to reach the peak of Yr Wyddfa, also known as Mount Snowdon, in support of our Children’s Hospital. Despite the hot weather, the adventurous little girl scaled the great peak and climbed back down again in seven-and-a-half hours, with family and friends accompanying her as she completed her mission.

Esmae was keen to give back to the hospital which has taken such good care of her little sister, Evie, saving her life multiple times.

Evie and Esmae’s parents, Alex and Jas, were elated when their youngest daughter was born. However, soon after she came home, Alex and Jas began to feel that something was wrong. Evie looked uncomfortable. With her knees tucked into her chest, she began vomiting and wouldn’t feed. The next morning their world came crashing down as Evie stopped breathing and Alex had to jump into action, performing CPR on his tiny daughter.

It was an agonising wait for the paramedics to arrive, but as they did, Evie thankfully took a breath. She was blue-lighted to her local hospital, where she was given antibiotics as a precaution for sepsis, before a critical care ambulance transferred her to our hospital for specialist treatment.

Doctors worked to try and find the cause of Evie’s illness, while she continued to struggle to keep food down. Her symptoms suggested there was some kind of obstruction, but doctors couldn’t see anything. Doctors call this a pseudo-obstruction and, in Evie’s case, it led to multiple bouts of sepsis.

Evie underwent surgery after surgery, each one saving her life and helping her to get strong enough to be transferred from intensive care to the hospital’s High Dependency Unit. At six months old, Evie was finally well enough to go home and be reunited with her family. But the medication that helped manage her condition needed close monitoring by doctors. The family would spend the next three and a half years in and out of our hospital, and Esmae, Alex and Jas got used to their ‘new normal’.

Things began to improve for Evie when she was able to have a life-changing operation at the end of last year. Since then, the four-year-old has had an incredible recovery, and while she still needs some support, she has much more energy and can enjoy normal life with her family.

Inspired by Evie’s strength and her dad’s own amazing fundraising runs, Esmae decided she wanted to play her own part and climb a mountain for our charity. She asked friends and family to support her and the goodwill snowballed. Loved ones, businesses and the local community dug deep, helping Esmae raise over £1,500 to support sick kids.

Esmae felt exhausted and proud of herself at the end of her challenge, but she was even prouder of her sister, Evie. While Evie couldn’t walk up the mountain herself, Esmae made sure to video call her little sister when she reached the mountain’s peak, so she could show her the beautiful view.

Esmae’s dad, Alex, said: “When you hear your seven-year-old wants to climb a mountain, you’re initially sceptical. But Esmae rallied on through and we’re so incredibly proud of her, not just for doing it, but for wanting to raise money for the hospital as well.

“We’re so thankful to everyone who joined us on the climb and supported us, and for all the encouragement Esmae’s received. It means a lot to us all.”

Annie Eytle, Head of Public Fundraising, said: “We are beyond impressed by Esmae’s achievement. To scale the highest mountain in Wales and raise over £1,500 for our brave patients is just phenomenal, and we are so thankful.

“The funds raised will help us continue to do more for sick kids like Evie, from creating welcoming hospital environments and investing in pioneering technology to improving patient experiences and funding vital research into childhood conditions.”