'My son was dying in my arms. Had hospital staff done what I asked, he would likely still be here.'

Every parent knows that gut-wrenching feeling when their child is sick. That instinct that something isn't right.

For Northern Beaches mum Elouise Massa, that maternal intuition was screaming when her two-year-old son Joe became weak after vomiting during the night.

Like any parent would, she rushed him to Northern Beaches Hospital, desperate for help. It should have been a safe place where Joe would get better. Instead, it became the place where their world fell apart.

On the morning of September 14, 2024, Joe should have been whisked away for immediate care and treated within minutes. Instead, Elouise was forced to watch her baby boy deteriorate for two and a half hours in a nearly empty emergency department, pleading for help that wouldn't come in time.

Elouise said her son had "no chance of survival" as soon as he stepped foot in the hospital that morning.

Watch: Two-year-old Joe Massa dies at Northern Beaches Hospital. Post continues below.

Staff ignored the critical warning signs, including the toddler's high heart rate, which went up to 192 beats per minute within half an hour, she said. Joe also exhibited signs of limpness, a rash, and he lost consciousness.

Elouise said she repeatedly asked for a bed in an otherwise almost empty emergency department but was denied "because it doesn't follow protocol".

"I had Joe in my arms, agitated, extremely unwell and limp, and I was told to just give him a bit of electrolytes from a syringe every five minutes," she told Mamamia.

Little Joe Massa was a 'gentle' but 'cheeky' boy. Image: Supplied.

The timeline of that morning reads like every parent's worst nightmare.

After arriving at 7:06am, a floppy and unresponsive Joe was moved to paediatric emergency at 7:39am. By 10:30am, he had to be transferred to the resuscitation bay.

"He was deteriorating, literally dying in my arms minute by minute, and I was being told to sit back down in my chair and follow the process of giving him electrolytes," Elouise said. "It was harrowing."

Then at 10:47am, the unthinkable happened. Joe went into cardiac arrest, which resulted in irreversible brain damage.

The most heartbreaking part? A simple IV drip might have saved his life.

"He was suffering from hypovolemia, which is a loss of fluid," Elouise explained. "The way to counter that is to start an IV resuscitation plan, meaning simply give that person a drip and stabilise the person."

"Had he simply had the drip I asked for on multiple occasions, had he been hooked up to any monitoring equipment prior to his cardiac arrest, he would most likely still be here today," she said.

For 29 agonising minutes, medical staff fought to restart Joe's tiny heart. But the damage was done.

Joe with his dad, Danny. Image: Supplied.

"Failed by a broken system."

Nothing will bring their "gentle" yet "cheeky" boy back. But through their unimaginable grief, Danny and Elouise are determined to save other families from the same heartache.

"What we are doing now as Joe's parents is parenting him in the best way that we can, to ensure that there is meaningful change and that he leaves a positive legacy. So that no other child on the Northern Beaches of Sydney has to lose their life needlessly," Elouise said.

A subsequent review of Joe's case revealed a devastating cascade of errors.

Listen to Elouise Massa's story on The Quicky. Post continues below.

Joe was marked as "Category 3," requiring treatment within 30 minutes. With his high heart rate, he should have instead been treated as a "Category 2" patient and seen within 10 minutes.

Basic monitoring equipment wasn't used and staff also failed to respond to the concerns of Joe's parents, who had been pleading for the boy to be given IV fluids.

Elouise said her boy was "failed by a broken system".

Elouise said Joe loved the garden and being outside. Image: Supplied.

Staff at Northern Beaches Hospital, run by private operator Healthscope, planned to walk off the job from 6am on Friday in a 26-hour industrial ban, as nurses report receiving inadequate support.

But a last minute decision from the Fair Work Commission ruled that no strikes are to take place over the next 24 hours.

The hospital, operated by private healthcare giant Healthscope, has apologised over Joe's death.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has called it "every parent's worst nightmare" and vowed to do "everything we can" to ensure Elouise and Danny get answers.

Health Minister Ryan Park admitted it represents "a new low in the state's healthcare system."

But apologies won't bring back their little boy. Now, Danny and Elouise are fighting for change.

They want the government to re-evaluate its contract with Healthscope to ensure "private operators prioritise patient safety over profit".

They're meeting with the premier and health minister to demand an independent inquiry into Northern Beaches Hospital.

They're pushing for greater awareness of the REACH initiative — a vital system that empowers families to escalate their concerns when they feel their loved ones aren't receiving adequate care.

"We will not stop advocating for Joe," Elouise said.

Because now, this has become bigger than their little boy. His legacy might just save another child's life.

-with AAP

Feature image: Supplied.