A Glasgow schoolgirl who suffers up to 300 seizures a day has been 'robbed of her childhood', her distraught mum has said.
Eight-year-old Olivia McCafferty has Doose Syndrome, a very debilitating form of childhood epilepsy.
She can suffer hundreds of seizures every day, some of them causing her to lose consciousness, and she has endured serious falls that have left her black and blue.
READ MORE: Harry Styles fan plunges from balcony into crowd below during Ibrox gig
Over the past six years Olivia's condition has gotten so bad that she has lost the ability to walk and is now wheelchair-bound.
Mum Julie Cabrey, 45, says her little girl can't do the normal things other kids do at her age.
She told the Daily Record: "Her seizures have gone absolutely haywire in the last 18 months. Last year, we counted her 300th seizure one day. Now we've just stopped counting.
"I have to sit down everyday and watch my daughter constantly have different types of seizures. It's been absolutely horrific.
"She can't do normal things that other kids her age are doing. She can't go out to play with her friends, she needs me there at all times.
"She's on a strict keto diet so she can't have McDonald's or sweets. She can't even go to her friend's birthday parties. She misses out on a lot."
Olivia was just 15 months old when she was first hospitalised with convulsions. She wasn't diagnosed with Doose syndrome until several months later.
In 2021, the youngster underwent brain surgery to try and alleviate the seizures but the procedure was unsuccessful.
She now has to permanently wear a safety helmet and has a camera installed in her bedroom to monitor her falls.
Mum Julie, who works as a support learning worker for Glasgow City Council, said she has now turned to funding medicinal cannabis oil treatment for her daughter.
Olivia is currently receiving the treatment at the Sapphire Medical Clinic in Stirling - Scotland’s first approved medicinal cannabis clinic - but the family face mounting costs of up to £1,200 a month to increase her dose.
She continued: "We've got to the stage where we can't live like this anymore. As a family we've had to sacrifice a lot. I've had to change my career and go part time so I can be available for Olivia.
"Family life isn't normal. Olivia hates her seizures. She just wants to be like her friends. It really affects her mentally.
"We've been introducing cannabis oil since January. We've seen Olivia have good days on it.
"I'm hopeful we can increase her dose but it's double the price. We simply can't afford it. We just need any release from this so she can be a normal child.
Julie is hoping she will be able to fundraise the cash to pay for treatment.
If you would like to donate to Olivia's fundraiser, click here.
