Baby Lawrence's Fight for Breath
Marking FREO2’s 30,000th Patient Treated: A World Pneumonia Day Story
Kilufi Provincial Hospital, Malaita, Solomon Islands – November 2025
In her arms, hope returns. Eunice holds baby Lawrence as he fights for life, one breath at a time.
Two-week-old Lawrence wasn't supposed to be fighting for his life. Born healthy at Foambu Health Centre in central Malaita on October 14th, he'd gone home to Rufoki village with his parents, 26-year-old Eunice and Carlos, full of promise and hope.
But two weeks later, everything changed.
"He started struggling to breathe while trying to feed," Eunice recalls, her voice still tight with the memory. "His crying was different – desperate. I knew something was terribly wrong."
Within a day, Lawrence's condition deteriorated. His parents rushed him back to Foambu Health Centre, where nurses quickly diagnosed what they suspected was severe pneumonia. The baby needed oxygen, urgently. But in the Solomon Islands, where over 80% of the population lives in rural areas spread across nearly 1,000 islands, accessing life-saving respiratory care can mean the difference between life and death.
Lawrence was immediately referred to Kilu’ufi Hospital, 34 kilometers away. The journey that followed was long and treacherous, navigating terrible road conditions across the island before arriving at 5:45pm and then waiting two hours before admission – a reality many Solomon Islands families know too well.
When Lawrence finally reached the children's ward at 7:45pm, his condition was alarming. His oxygen saturation level – the measure of oxygen in his blood – registered at just 82%. Normal levels should be 95% or above. Every percentage point below that threshold increases the risk of organ damage and death.
Nurse Consinta, grateful for the FREO2 system, monitors her patients closely to ensure every child gets the life-saving oxygen they need.
For Eunice, watching the medical team work on her tiny son was devastating. "My heart sank when I saw those nurses attach tubes to his nose and put the cannula in his hand," she remembers. "But I just prayed and prayed that I would hold my little Lawrence again in my arms."
Nurse Consinta and her team acted quickly. But this time, something was different. Only weeks earlier, the ward had received FREO2’s Oxylink system; a reliable oxygen system delivering 96% purity to multiple beds at once. For the first time, nurses didn’t have to worry about empty cylinders, failing concentrators, or turning children away… they could turn on the oxygen at the wall, like flicking on the lights.
"Before FREO2, we struggled constantly," explains Consinta, a registered nurse with 12 years' experience at Kilu’ufi. "Our concentrators often didn't reach the recommended 90% oxygen concentration. We'd have children waiting at outpatients because we couldn't treat enough patients at once. Sometimes we'd run out of oxygen cylinders – the cost and logistics of refilling them, transporting them from Honiara... some patients didn't make it because of oxygen shortages."
Oxylink changed everything for Lawrence. He received high-quality oxygen immediately, giving his failing lungs a chance to recover.
The boat into Kilu’ufi Hospital in Auki City on Malaita Island.
The Hidden Cost of Distance
Lawrence’s story is shaped by the realities of the Solomon Islands, a nation of 730,000 people spread across nearly 1,000 islands, where over 80% of families live in remote rural communities. Reaching care often requires long road journeys or boat travel, and delays can be fatal.
Health resources are scarce. The country has just 2 doctors per 10,000 people (Australia has 39), and most medical training happens overseas. Oxygen is even harder to access. Honiara has a PSA (Pressure Swing Adsorption) plant, but it only serves the National Referral Hospital. Outside the capital, oxygen cylinders cost up to US$530 for a G-class and US$290 for an E-class, plus a daily rental fee, and refills can take up to two weeks to arrive by boat.
Electricity adds another challenge. Only one in five households is connected to the grid, blackouts are frequent, and rural clinics often cannot power oxygen concentrators reliably. In a country where most families rely on subsistence farming and the GDP per capita is just US$2,080 (compared with Australia’s US$60,000), the cost of transport and prolonged hospital stays can be devastating.
In this environment, pneumonia — the world’s deadliest infectious killer of children — becomes even more dangerous. Without access to reliable oxygen, a treatable illness can quickly become a tragedy.
A doctor monitors Lawrence, measuring his oxygen levels with a pulse oximeter.
A Mother’s Vigil
The first two days were critical. Lawrence's respiratory rate climbed to 151-172 breaths per minute – dangerously fast for a newborn whose normal rate should be around 40-60 breaths per minute. He showed signs of severe shortness of breath, his tiny chest heaving with effort. Though his oxygen saturation stabilised at 95-96% while on the Oxylink system, he remained under close observation. Each breath was a battle.
Eunice stayed by his bedside, restless and terrified, barely eating or sleeping herself.
"As a first-time mother, it's so challenging for me," she says. "I didn't expect this kind of situation in my early life as a mother. Lawrence has changed my life, and now I see that as a mother, it's not easy having kids – but I will always embrace these moments I have with my first son."
By day three, Lawrence began to turn a corner. He started moving, crying when hungry – small victories that brought tears of relief. The doctor reassured Eunice: "Your son is a fighter. He's going to get through this."
By day four, Lawrence was feeding well and resting comfortably, though his temperature spiked to 37°C. His oxygen saturation continued to improve, climbing to 97%.
After five days on continuous oxygen therapy, Lawrence was finally stabilised, though still kept under observation. The color had returned to his face. His breathing had eased. Eunice could finally hold him properly again, feeling the reassuring warmth of her son in her arms; alive, recovering, fighting his way back to health.
Today, Lawrence is thriving at home in Rufoki village with his parents. "For me, it's the first time experiencing this system," Eunice says.
“This system saved my son’s life. If we hadn’t reached the health centre in time, or if we hadn’t been able to get to Kilu’ufi Hospital, the outcome might have been very different... Normally, we would have relied on those large oxygen cylinders.
I wish every rural clinic in the Solomon Islands could have a system like this, it would save families the cost and hardship of travel. I know these systems are expensive, but here we receive it for free. I’m so grateful for the Oxylink system, and I hope FREO2 can bring this life-saving care to more communities like ours.”
A nurse delivers life-saving oxygen with a simple turn of the FREO2 FlowBox at the wall.
Powering Hope: Infrastructure Challenges and FREO2’s Solution
Reliable electricity remains a major challenge in the Solomon Islands. At US$0.692 per kWh, electricity is the most expensive in the Pacific, nearly eight times the cost in New Caledonia and four times Australia. Blackouts are frequent, sometimes lasting half a day or longer, and only 16–20% of the population is connected to the central grid, limited to main urban centers like Honiara, Auki, and Gizo. Nearly 90% of electricity comes from diesel generators, leaving rural clinics struggling to power oxygen concentrators reliably. Even at Kilu’ufi Hospital, which has a more stable connection, monthly outages create anxious moments for staff and patients.
Since installation, the FREO2 system at Kilu’ufi Hospital has treated around ten oxygen-dependent patients per month, children who might have faced very different outcomes before.
"I have seen the efficiency of it and I hope it would be extended to other wards as well," says Nurse Consinta. "The difference between the cylinder concentrators and this installation is significant. The old concentrators didn't reach adequate purity levels, and the length of use wouldn't be sufficient for recovery. With the new installation, we can efficiently treat patients in 5 to 7 days rather than the usual two weeks."
The reduction in treatment time is crucial in a hospital system stretched beyond capacity. Faster recovery means beds become available for other critically ill children. It means families can return home sooner, reducing their financial burden. It means healthcare workers can provide better care to more patients.
She adds, “I hope the mortality rate decreases. Some children didn’t make it before due to cylinder shortages. With these installations, more children can survive.”
Consinta acknowledges that challenges remain. “Staff are still learning the system, and ongoing support will help us use it effectively.”
When Climate and Health Collide
FREO2’s current reach in the Solomon Islands: 6 FREO2 Oxylink systems installed across 5 facilities, serving communities scattered over nearly 1,000 islands.
The Solomon Islands face increasing risks from floods, cyclones, and rising sea levels, particularly in coastal regions where most people live. Extreme weather damages infrastructure, making it harder for families to reach health facilities and increasing the severity of respiratory illnesses in children. Flooding can contaminate water sources, leading to more infections, while isolated settlements make emergency response difficult.
Climate projections also predict a 50% reduction in maximum fish catch, threatening subsistence incomes and nutrition. Malnourished children are more vulnerable to infections, including pneumonia.
Pneumonia remains a leading infectious killer of children globally, claiming over 700,000 lives under five each year; more than malaria, diarrhoea, and measles combined. It is both preventable and treatable; access to oxygen therapy, trained health workers, reliable electricity, and diagnostic tools like pulse oximeters can reduce childhood pneumonia deaths by up to 35%.
In resource-limited settings like the Solomon Islands, geographic isolation, economic constraints, and infrastructure gaps converge to create a deadly combination for the youngest patients. Lawrence’s story illuminates this reality, showing how access to oxygen can mean the difference between life and death.
Baby 30,000: A Milestone of Hope
Lawrence is more than a single life saved, he is FREO2’s 30,000th child treated with oxygen, a milestone reflecting the organisation’s commitment to life-saving care for every child.
“Each number represents a real child, like Lawrence, with parents who love them and dreams they’ll pursue,” says a FREO2 team member.
Since its founding, FREO2 has installed over 150 oxygen delivery systems across Uganda, Tanzania, and the Solomon Islands, serving the most vulnerable populations. Every child treated represents a family spared loss, a community strengthened, and a future preserved.
On this World Pneumonia Day, Lawrence’s story shows that solutions exist, but only when children have access to basic medical care. His survival in a small hospital on Malaita, serving 130,000 people scattered across rural villages, demonstrates that the right technology and dedication can save lives.
But Lawrence's story also raises an urgent question: How many more children across the Solomon Islands and beyond are still waiting? How many mothers are watching their babies struggle to breathe, miles from the nearest health facility, knowing that help might not arrive in time?
The answer to that question depends on whether the global community treats oxygen access as what it truly is, not a luxury, but a fundamental human right. FREO2 celebrates 30,000 children treated and many lives saved, but the journey continues; one child, one breath, one life at a time.
World Pneumonia Day, observed annually on November 12th, raises awareness about pneumonia and promotes interventions to protect against, prevent, and treat this leading killer of children worldwide.
Baby Lawrence, breathing freely and ready to go home after life-saving oxygen therapy.
