Jo Whiley has revealed that her daughter Coco is recovering after being rushed to hospital with suspected sepsis.
The 61-year-old BBC radio presenter shared the frightening experience on Dig It, her podcast with Zoe Ball. Coco, 18, became seriously unwell with an ear infection around her birthday.
Jo said her daughter was healing well a week later, although she remained fragile. The broadcaster also spoke about her guilt over leaving for work while Coco was ill.
Jo Whiley’s overnight worry for daughter Coco
Jo said she was told she could not stay overnight at the hospital because Coco was 18.
However, one nurse answered her calls through the night and kept her updated on her daughter’s condition.
The presenter described feeling helpless as a parent. She also recalled seeing exhausted doctors and nurses rushing between patients in A&E.
Praising the difference that kindness made, Jo said: “It makes a world of difference when someone is kind to you when you’re in hospital. If you’re a doctor or a nurse, just that soft, gentle approach really, really makes all the difference. I was so grateful.”
Jo Whiley recalls the message about Coco’s hospital dash
Before the hospital admission, Coco had been vomiting up the antibiotics she was taking for her ear infection.
Jo had kept checking on her before leaving for a busy day of radio work. While there, she received a message from her elder daughter India telling her to come home.
Recalling her reaction, Jo said: “You know when your blood turns to ice… I forget everything else that’s going on. This is real life. And it was absolutely terrifying.”
India had taken her younger sister to a doctor, who identified signs of sepsis, Jo explained.
Coco received intravenous antibiotics before being taken to hospital by ambulance. Jo and her husband Steve Morton rushed to be with her.
Doctors linked the suspected sepsis to Coco’s middle ear infection, she said.
Jo discusses Martha’s Rule
Jo also discussed Martha’s Rule, which she said she and Steve used during Coco’s hospital stay.
The scheme allows families to request an urgent review when a patient’s condition worsens and concerns aren’t being heard.
“We were really stressing out and we were really panicking,” Jo explained.
She said knowing they could seek another medical opinion brought them comfort during the frightening experience.
Read more: Jo Whiley reveals heartbreaking family health struggles as she admits she went into ‘crisis-mode’
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