Maidstone toddler Louis Parvin's miraculous recovery after skull fractured in wardrobe fall at Barming flat
00:01, 21 October 2013
You would not think it from looking at him, but a few weeks ago Louis Parvin was fighting for his life after being crushed.
The two-year-old, from Maidstone, was knocked unconscious when a free-standing wardrobe fell on his head.
Louis suffered a fractured skull and was put in an induced coma by the Kent Air Ambulance crew.
Anxious parents Peter and Kaylie, of Crownfields, Weavering, kept a bedside vigil at King's College Hospital, London.
"It really was touch and go," said 27-year-old Peter. "Louis is such a bright, lively and cheeky boy, so it was horrible to see him lying there with tubes coming out of him."
Louis was with his nan at a flat in Roseholme, Barming, when the accident happened.
Peter's mother-in-law gave the toddler mouth-to-mouth and he regained consciousness, but began bleeding from his ear.
Louis underwent an emergency blood transfusion and spent just over a week in hospital.
Despite doctors' fears of lasting brain damage, he appears to be making a miraculous recovery.
Peter, whose grandfather is former Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Peter Parvin, said: "So many people helped and looked after us, but I honestly believe the actions of the Kent Air Ambulance team saved his life.
"It's frightening to think the service just relies on donations."
The accident, on Wednesday, September 25, brought back heartbreaking memories for the father-of-one, as his father, Simon, died four years ago when he fell from a ladder and suffered a head trauma.
The family came together last week at a surprise 30th birthday party for Peter's sister, Lucie, and used the occasion to collect donations for the air ambulance.
Peter, a senior business manager at Barclays, and Kaylie, who works at Stone Hairdressing in Queen Street, Kings Hill, plan to visit the crew who treated Louis at the charity's base in Marden.