AN overjoyed mum cuddled her baby daughter today as she described how the tiny tot came back from the brink of death after stopping breathing in a health centre.

Only the quick actions of trainee nurse practitioner Sister Carole Phillips and GPs saved 11-month-old Emily Taylor's life.

Little Emily spent a week under heavy sedation in a hospital intensive care unit while doctors warned she might not survive.

Then to everyone's relief she recovered almost as quickly as she fell ill.

Tests showed Emily, of Salisbury Street, Colne, suffered from a horrific list of potentially fatal illnesses - pneumococcal meningitis, pneumonia, septicaemia and a collapsed lung.

"Emily went into the health centre perfectly all right and a short time later she was fighting for her life," said mum Julie Barton. "For a time the doctors were warning us she might not live.

"We're just so happy that she's back home again and perfectly fine. She's our little miracle baby."

Reluctant heroine Carole, who worked at Burnley General Hospital before joining Colne Health Centre 14 months ago, played down her role. "I just happened to be in the right place at the right time," she said. "I was only doing my job."

Emily seemed perfectly normal when she visited the health centre on Friday the 13th with her grandmother Lyn Barton, who had an appointment.

But within a matter of moments Emily began to fall seriously ill. "She started getting hotter and hotter," said Carole. "When I picked her up she was blue and she had stopped breathing.

"I gave her mouth-to-mouth while the ambulance arrived. There was no way I was letting her go."

Doctors at the health centre also helped to treat her.

Carole continued to give Emily mouth-to-mouth in the ambulance until it arrived at Burnley General.

"It took three hours to stabilise her," said Julie, 28. "The doctors wanted to send her to Pendlebury Children's Hospital in Manchester but they weren't sure she would survive the journey.

"Eventually she went to Pendlebury and the doctors there said the first 48 hours were critical. They told us they weren't sure she would survive."

Emily was given a course of antibiotics to combat the infections and eventually allowed back to Burnley General to complete her recovery.

"The staff were amazed she was back so soon and well on the way to recovery," said Julie.

Emily was allowed back home on Wednesday and is now back to normal.

"We can't thank people enough," said Julie, "especially the staff at the health centre and at Pendlebury.

"Carole is our hero. If it hadn't have been for her Emily would have died."

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