Mar, 2026
Noah went fishing after school. 36 hours later he almost lost his life.
“Seeing your child like that… it is the hardest thing to experience.” — Sharnee, Noah’s mum
Sharnee never expected an ordinary afternoon after school would turn into the most frightening experience of her life. Within 24 hours, her eight-year-old son Noah would be airlifted twice, rushed into emergency surgery and come dangerously close to losing his life.
It began on a Wednesday like any other.
After school, Noah, his brother Cooper and a few neighbourhood friends headed down to their local creek to fish, something Noah had recently discovered he loved. They laughed, fished and enjoyed the afternoon the way every child should.
That night before bed, Noah mentioned a mosquito bite on his leg was bothering him. It was small — nothing unusual. By the next morning the redness had grown to about the size of a 10-cent piece. It still didn’t seem serious, and he went off to school. Just to be safe, Sharnee asked his teacher to keep an eye on him.
But by morning tea Noah messaged his mum to say he felt unwell and had gone to sick bay. Soon after, the school called. Noah was deteriorating quickly.
When Sharnee arrived, the redness had spread significantly – far beyond the bandage. She had already booked him in to see a doctor, but something felt very wrong. Noah was lethargic, running a high temperature and vomiting. What seemed like a minor bite, was rapidly becoming something far more serious.
That is when everything took a turn.
Noah in Children’s Critical Care, fighting his infections.
Sharnee rushed Noah to the emergency department at Dalby Hospital, where doctors quickly recognised a severe infection that was spreading dangerously fast. With limited local treatment options available, he was urgently airlifted to Toowoomba Hospital. Health teams there worked hard to stabilise Noah’s low blood pressure, but despite their efforts his condition continued to decline. Without a children’s intensive care unit, Toowoomba’s team knew he needed specialist paediatric critical care.
A children’s ICU retrieval team (CHQRS) was urgently called and in the early hours of Friday morning, Noah was airlifted again — this time to Children’s Critical Care at Gold Coast University Hospital.
“When we reached Gold Coast University Hospital, a team of about 30 people were there ready to help Noah.” Sharnee said. “It was so intense. It was about 4am. None of us had slept. Everything was happening so quickly, and you could feel how serious it had become.”
The team began assessing and stabilising Noah, using specialised equipment made possible through donations to Gold Coast Hospital Foundation – including a vital ultrasound machine, purchased specifically for the children’s critical care team, to guide the insertion of a central line so stronger blood pressure medicine (Adrenaline and Noradrenaline) could be delivered. This allowed the team to work quickly to stabilise him for a timely and efficient treatment.
Then came the moment Sharnee was not prepared for.
A helicopter waits to airlift Noah to another hospital and Noah in hospital.
Doctors explained Noah needed urgent surgery. Time was running out.
“I was given the worst-case scenario,” Sharnee said. “They told me Noah’s condition was extremely serious, and he might need to lose his leg in order to save his life.”
“I was shattered. Less than 36 hours earlier he had been fishing happily with his friends.”
“Signing those consent forms was incredibly hard. I didn’t know what the outcome would be. Those hours waiting while he was in surgery were the hardest and longest of my life. I never want to relive that again.”
In surgery, doctors confirmed the cause: necrotising fasciitis, a rare and aggressive flesh-eating bacterial infection that spreads quickly through tissue and can become life-threatening within hours.
The infection was already moving quickly up his leg toward vital organs.
“The infection in Noah’s leg was spreading incredibly fast,” said Dr Joshi, Children’s Intensive Care Specialist from the Children’s Critical Care unit. “He also developed a rare condition called toxic shock syndrome from the group A streptococci bacteria, where toxins from the infection enter the bloodstream and start to affect important organs including the brain. Infections like this can be life or limb-threatening without time critical treatment. In Noah’s case that meant immediate surgery, appropriate strong antibiotics and intensive care. Noah could have lost his life; it is an outcome I am sad to say I’ve witnessed before.”
By the time Noah arrived at Gold Coast University Hospital, doctors knew they were in a race against time.
The mosquito bite and redness on his leg that would threaten his life and the top of the 50cm incision in his leg that would help save him.
Orthopaedic surgeons rushed him to theatre with one goal: remove and treat the infection before it spread further. During surgery, Alaris syringe pumps – also funded through donations to the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation as part of upgrades to all surgical theatres – helped doctors carefully manage Noah’s anaesthesia and care. The infection had spread so far up his leg that the surgical team had to make an incision more than 50 centimetres long, from the top of his thigh down to his ankle.
“Noah was hours away from a much more severe outcome,” Dr Joshi said.
Following surgery, Noah was transferred to Children’s Critical Care where he was placed on a ventilator to support his breathing, continuous strong pain relief medication and kept heavily sedated. He was expected to return to theatre the following day, and sedation and pain relief helped keep him stable ahead of further treatment.
For Sharnee, seeing her son like that was overwhelming.
“You’re sitting beside your child on a ventilator, heavily sedated, knowing they’ve already been through one major surgery and still have more ahead,” she said.
“It was incredibly confronting.”
Noah at Gold Coast University Hospital with his family.
A sleeper chair funded by Gold Coast Hospital Foundation meant Sharnee could remain beside Noah in intensive care, while a family room refurbished by the Foundation gave her and the family a quiet place to wait during the most critical moments of his treatment.
Over the following days, Noah underwent additional surgeries as doctors checked and removed any remaining infected tissue and muscle and ensured the remaining tissue was healthy. His recovery is ongoing, with regular hospital visits needed so doctors can monitor his wound as it heals.
“We were so relieved when we found out they had saved his leg — and his life,” Sharnee said.
“You never think something like this will happen to you. But when it does, it’s terrifying.”
Gradually, Noah began to stabilise. The swelling went down. His temperature settled. And slowly his energy returned. Even with heavy bandaging from hip to ankle and strict bed rest, Noah’s personality began shining through again.
“I would prefer to be at school and playing football again,” Noah said. “But the nurses and doctors have been really good and loving. I like a lot of them. They are smart and good at their jobs.”
Soon he was talking about football again and the fish he hopes to catch once he’s well enough to return to the creek. In the coming weeks, Noah will return for plastic surgery and a skin graft to support his healing and protect his leg as he grows.
The Gold Coast Hospital Foundation funded Alaris syringe pumps that supported Noah during his life-saving surgery and the calming refurbished family room in Children’s Critical Care.
Thanks to rapid transfers, specialist expertise, care and swift decisions across several Queensland Health hospitals, Noah kept his leg and continues to make steady progress.
There’s comfort in knowing this level of care is available here on the Gold Coast, supported by donations made to the Gold Coast Hospital Foundation.
Dr Joshi said the teamwork across hospitals and specialties was critical. Early recognition, rapid coordination and having the right teams and equipment ready made all the difference.
When asked what she would say to someone thinking about donating, Sharnee reflected on the support and equipment that had helped during Noah’s life-saving care.
“You don’t think you’ll ever need it until you do,” she said.
“It could be someone close to home who needs it one day. Donations help make sure the care is there when it truly matters.”
Every year, thousands of children and adults across our region face unexpected health emergencies. Sharnee never imagined a simple mosquito bite could lead to two emergency airlifts, multiple major surgeries and days in intensive care. Thanks to rapid intensive medical care – and the generosity of people who support their local hospitals and health precincts — Noah now has the chance to get back to doing what he loves most, being a kid.
Help make more stories like Noah’s possible.
This Giving Day, please donate to Gold Coast Hospital Foundation. Your support helps fund vital medical equipment, emergency accommodation and other life-changing services that support patients and their families when it matters most.
Give now at gcdonate.org.au