10 June 2024 , 09:03
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A toddler with a collapsed lung climbed two mountains after doctors recommended vigorous exercise to help his condition.
Tobias Leak, five, had been suffering with a continuous cough, high temperatures and a fever when his mum, Sam, 33, took him to the doctors. After three years of pushing for tests and x-rays - and being told she was just an "anxious parent" - Tobias was eventually diagnosed with a partially collapsed lung and pneumonia in December 2023.
Following rounds of antibiotics and steroids, doctors said they would not manually re-inflate Tobias' collapsed lung. They recommended mum Sam and dad Darren Leak, 36, a gas engineer, keep the toddler active to improve his lung function using high intensity activities to increase his heart rate and get his breathing up.
The goal is to increase his lung capacity as much as possible by increasing his breathing rate. Tobias also uses a face mask with adjustable pressure to increase breathing resistance and help reinflate his lung. As well as climbing and rollerblading, the family took up hiking.
Tobias has climbed Snowdon and Scafell Pike (Sam Leak/SWNS)Tobias has now climbed Snowdon and Scafell Pike - with plans to scale Ben Nevis later this year alongside his siblings, Josiah, 10, and Annastasia, nine. Sam, a nursery nurse, from Andover, Hampshire, said: "I'd been told by so many people his symptoms were just viral, I kept being told it was normal.
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"Doctors told me I was an overly anxious parent and that he just had a rubbish immune system because of lockdown. It was frustrating, I'm not an overly anxious person. He's always been much more active than his peers, not all children can ride a bike and roller-skate at three - he couldn't be more active if he tried.
"The youngest person to climb Scafell Pike is four and youngest person to complete the three peaks is five - I can go back to the doctors next time and say he's up there with the best of them." Tobias first started showing symptoms aged three in 2021 suffering with a continuous cough and high temperature.
Tobia with parents Sam and Darren and siblings Josiah and Annastasia (Sam Leak/SWNS)Sam says Covid tests kept coming back negative and after multiple trips to the GP he was referred to Royal Hampshire County Hospital where he was diagnosed with an infection in his lungs. He was then referred to University Hospital Southampton where he had x-rays, and in June 2023 underwent an operation to clear the infection.
In September 2023, Tobias had a follow-up operation to insert a piccline to administer antibiotics directly into his chest which was kept in place for two weeks. Following a biopsy, it was confirmed Tobias was suffering with pneumonia and in December 2023 he was diagnosed with a collapsed lung.
As he didn't respond well to being put to sleep, doctors suggested alternatives to re-inflating his lung including using a nebuliser, vigorous exercise and physiotherapy. Climbing, rollerblading, BMXing and swimming are all regular activities for the tot and Sam says she was amazed when Tobias made it to the top of Snowdon having planned to just go halfway.
Tobias suffered a collapsed lung and pneumonia (Sam Leak/SWNS)Before exercising regularly, Tobias' condition was getting progressively worse, but since starting the exercise regime, Sam says he's stabilised. "We try and do high intensity activities the idea is to get him out of breath so he's taking his deep breaths to get the lung to re-inflate," said Sam.
"They said keep him fit and healthy so we did whatever we could he was three when he started riding a bike and climbing at local climbing centre. We started going climbing, to the BMX track and the rollerdisco and as he got a bit bigger and stronger we thought about what we could do to challenge him more.
"All five of us go hiking, it's drawn us all together as a family being out in nature doing something that's a challenge for everybody. We're probably going to do Ben Nevis in the school holidays. I couldn't believe it when he made it to the top of Snowdon - he was really excited and did a show and tell at school about it. He's been looking for the next hike ever since."