A girl was born with a tiny 'bruise' on her forehead that turned into a pomegranate-sized birthmark. Chloe Lambert, now nine, of Milton Keynes, arrived eight weeks early with a tiny 'bruise' on the right side of her forehead. Although her parents Jean and Michael were initially unconcerned, the mark soon began to grow bigger every day and turned a vivid red. Doctors reassured the couple the blemish would disappear on its own but the mark which was bigger than a 50p coin started to scab and attracted cruel stares from strangers. The blemish kept growing and Chloe was accepted onto a treatment trial at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), which cut off blood supply to her birthmark so it shrunk and could be surgically removed. After going under the knife three times, Chloe is now left with just a slither of a scar and is proud to have been a 'birthmark baby'.
The youngster was rushed to intensive care after she arrived at just 32 weeks, with Mrs Lambert who is also mother to Chloe's younger brother Thomas having to be treated for a retained placenta. A retained placenta occurs when it is not expelled from the body after labour, which can cause severe bleeding. Unable to see her baby until five hours after the birth, Mrs Lambert instantly noticed the blemish on her daughter's forehead but was more concerned about Chloe's health following her early arrival.
After finally being able to take Chloe home following weeks in intensive care, Mrs Lambert noticed her daughter's blemish was growing, with dermatologists telling the new parents it was actually a birthmark and there was nothing they could do. However, the mark soon began to ulcerate and bleed heavily every time it was accidentally knocked. It even oozed pus when a scab on the blemish came off while Chloe's parents dressed her. And the mark even started to weigh down Chloe's eye, prompting children to ask if they could touch it.
Desperate for help, the parents visited medics at a hospital, only for their appointment to be interrupted by a passing doctor telling them of a new trial at GOSH. Told she was a 'prime candidate' for the treatment, Chloe started the therapy just three weeks later, which involved her taking the blood-pressure medication propranolol. This helped to reduce the blood flow through Chloe's birthmark, causing it to shrink and become 'softer'.After a year on propranolol, doctors were confident the birthmark was not growing anymore and the youngster was ready for surgery. Chloe now lives a normal life and is finally proud of her scar after years of covering it up.'We were ecstatic with the results,' Mrs Lambert said. 'How the scar is now, it's like she's just had an accident. 'It shows the journey that she's been on.'Mrs Lambert is sharing Chloe's story to raise awareness of the charity Birthmark Support Group, which supported her family throughout the ordeal. She is running the London marathon in the charity's only place and has already exceeded her £800 target. Donate.
