A young girl's life has been turned upside down after being diagnosed with a severe lung and heart condition.
Seven-year-old Gracie Doyle was walking to school with her dad when she suddenly collapsed and had to be rushed to hospital. However, she was sent home after a few hours, only to be rushed back to the hospital a couple of weeks later after collapsing at school.
Following this, the young girl was admitted to hospital in a critical condition, with doctors informing her anxious parents Emily and Gary that she had Pulmonary hypertension and was currently in a "danger zone". Soon after, Gracie and her parents were on a private plane en route to Great Ormond Street Hospital for specialist treatment.
Gracie was rushed to hospital in a critical condition (SWNS)Gracie's mum Emily has revealed that she had concerns about Gracie's health for several years as she had been struggling to gain weight and had constant chest issues, but these were always attributed to asthma, reports Belfast Live. She believes that more could have been done to help Gracie if doctors had paid attention to her concerns.
Emily said: "The past few weeks have been so hard for us all, but we are so proud of how Gracie has handled everything with a smile and refuses to give up no matter what life has thrown at her. She has always been the life and soul of our family and her personality lights up every room that she is in and it is amazing to see how much of a fighting spirit she has.
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"Sadly though, her life has now changed forever and she is going to need constant 24 hour care with the possibility of a lung transplant in later life due to her condition, which is heartbreaking because she is the type of girl who is never inside the house and was always out playing with her friends but will never be able to do that again.
Gracie is now being treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital (SWNS)"If the pump that she will need for treatment starts to fail, we only have four to five minutes to act before the valves in her lungs close so anyone who is with her will need to be alert at all times. The doctors and nurses here at Great Ormond Street Hospital have been incredible with Gracie and we cannot thank them enough for everything that they have done for us and are committed to looking after her for years and she will always be a patient with them.
"I just feel that doctors should listen to the concerns of parents much more, because if they did with us, maybe Gracie would not be in this position now. We had been back and forth about her health for two years and were always told that it was just asthma and she would be ok, only to later find out something was seriously wrong with her when it was too late."
Gracie with her family (SWNS)
A fundraiser has been set up to help Gracie's family while she is being treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital (SWNS)Gracie and her parents will not return home to Belfast for a number of weeks, with caregivers and school personnel needing specialist training related to her treatment regime. Additionally, a specialised sterilised room is required at her home for the preparation of her medicines.
Gracie's family includes four siblings - two younger brothers as well as an elder sister and a younger one. A GoFundMe page has been organised by Emily's friend to provide financial aid to the beleaguered family while Gracie is under the care of Great Ormond Street Hospital. Apart from this, funds are also being collected with the aspiration to fulfil Gracie's lifelong dream - a trip to Disneyland.
Emily added: "We are so thankful to everyone who has supported Roisin's fundraiser, it really has meant the world to us and it is wonderful to see just how many kind and generous people there are out there who are willing to help us. We cannot thank you enough."
If you would like to donate to the fundraiser for Gracie and her family, please follow this link.
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