Mum’s warning after two-year-old boy suffers cardiac arrest on family holiday in Vietnam

Exclusive: The mother of a young boy who went into cardiac arrest on a family holiday in Vietnam has urged every parent to complete a first aid course.

Melbourne woman Lauren Spicer was in the city of Da Nang with her husband Kees and two sons on July 16 when her youngest Koen, then aged two, started to feel unwell.

“We went to a market for dinner and to play on some rides,” Spicer said. 

“We had just finished our last ride around 8pm, and we were about to get a cab back to the hotel when the boys both wanted some water.

“So we were ordering a bottle when we noticed Koen holding onto the drink cart and staring up into the sky. 

“We thought he was messing around as he is very cheeky but it lasted a little too long for our liking.”

Spicer said her husband picked up their son who went “completely limp in his arms”.

Read more

Leah endured a ‘terrifying’ health ordeal while pregnant. Then came a gruelling new reality

“We checked for a pulse and couldn’t feel anything so we started CPR,” she said.

A local resident told the family to hop into a cab as an ambulance would likely take too long at that time.

“A cab was already pulled over, so we got in and continued CPR in the back seat,” she said.

When the family arrived at a local hospital, they were told their son had suffered a cardiac arrest, an uncommon medical event for children of Koen’s age.

Emergency doctors were able to restart Koen’s heart.

The family was then sent to a second hospital in Vietnam, which had the facilities required for children.

Spicer made contact the family’s insurer who started the process to get her son to a hospital in Bangkok.

“He couldn't fly back to Melbourne because he had pneumonia and wasn't stable enough for a long flight,” she said.

“Once we arrived at Bangkok Hospital, we were in the ICU for just over two weeks.” 

Koen had an MRI of his brain and a CT scan of his heart.

The results showed he had suffered severe brain damage from a lack of oxygen, which affected his speech, vision and motor control.

The three-year-old also underwent genetic testing to rule out any heart disease.

“All heart testing and genetic tests came back clear,” she said.

Koen was cleared to fly after two weeks to Monash Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.

As his recovery continues, the family has stressed the importance of parents knowing first aid and CPR.

“Koen was a completely healthy, happy, energetic, rough and tumble little boy,” she said.

“He never showed any symptoms prior to the cardiac arrest.  

“The extensive testing that has been done shows no reason as to why it happened.

“We would recommend any family with any previous history of heart disease to be tested.”

While recovery is a slow process, the family recently marked a happy milestone.

“We celebrated Koen’s third birthday,” Spicer said.

“His doctors granted him a day pass to celebrate at home, so we got to spend a day at home as a family.

“It was such a beautiful day, and he really enjoyed everyone fussing over him.”

Koen’s doctor, Monash Health rehabilitation paediatrician Dr Sabine Hennel, said it has been “wonderful” to see the now three-year-old’s progress.

“It is such a privilege to be able to partner with families and work within our fabulous paediatric rehabilitation team to help children recover from serious illness,” Hennel said.

“Supporting Koen in spending his third birthday at home was an amazing feeling for myself, the whole team and hospital ward.”

An online fundraiser has raised almost $40,000 as Koen continues his recovery.