A three-year-old girl is fighting for her life after catching a deadly strain of E. coli on a family holiday. Harper Davis from Haverhill in Suffolk picked up the E. coli bug in Nottingham and it has left her in and out of intensive care and on dialysis.
Her devoted mother Melissa has been at her bedside at Nottingham Children's Hospital a specialist centre for children with kidney problems, reports Cambridgeshire Live. The toddler has had to undergo three operations and three blood transfusions. Meanwhile, her father Dean is trying to stay strong for Harper's three siblings at their home in Haverhill, 110 miles away.
Her devoted mother Melissa has been at her bedside at Nottingham Children's Hospital a specialist centre for children with kidney problems, reports Cambridgeshire Live. The toddler has had to undergo three operations and three blood transfusions. Meanwhile, her father Dean is trying to stay strong for Harper's three siblings at their home in Haverhill, 110 miles away.
Harper fell ill while the family of five were on holiday on August 10 with vomiting and diarrhoea. She had picked up E. coli a bacteria that is common in our guts but certain strains can cause serious illness. Harper developed haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS) a rare kidney condition that is caused by one particular strain of E. coli. It happens when red blood cells are destroyed and block the kidneys' filtering system. She has suffered acute kidney failure, had seizures, peritonitis and developed diabetes as a result of her illness. She has also had three blood transfusions and at least three operations.
Sarah Eghan, a friend of the family said: "She has been in and out of intensive care. Her little body is fighting against everything."It's been three weeks in the hospital now and we just don't know how long this is going to last."Sarah has set up a Go Fund Me account to help the family during this difficult time. She said: "Melissa is in Nottingham with Harper while her dad is coping at home with their other three children and is trying to keep things as normal as possible.
They will want the family to go up but you can't have three kids and two adults staying in a hospital so they will want a hotel. They are both self-employed but obviously can't focus on work right now."I know what financial pressures there are when someone is in hospital, and I just felt they shouldn't have to be worrying about money at a time like this. I just felt they needed a bit of financial backing. As a parent, you think this could happen to anyone of us so I set up the fund. It's just from one mum to another trying to help out.
They will want the family to go up but you can't have three kids and two adults staying in a hospital so they will want a hotel. They are both self-employed but obviously can't focus on work right now."I know what financial pressures there are when someone is in hospital, and I just felt they shouldn't have to be worrying about money at a time like this. I just felt they needed a bit of financial backing. As a parent, you think this could happen to anyone of us so I set up the fund. It's just from one mum to another trying to help out.