A baby girl was diagnosed with a rare condition after she started vomiting 'green' sick.
Gemma Savigar first suspected something was wrong with her daughter, Scarlett, when she was just four weeks old, and rushed her to hospital after noticing her sick looked a funny colour. Scarlett was admitted to Royal Stoke University Hospital but was quickly transferred to Alder Hey after being diagnosed with volvulus.
The condition is caused when the blood supply to part of the bowel is cut off. It only affects around one in every 3,000 babies, and Scarlett was deemed to need emergency surgery at Alder Hey's specialist unit.
READ MORE : Girl, 3, 'obsessed' with cuddly toy mum gave her for using toilet
Mum-of-two Gemma said: “It all happened so quickly. I took her to the doctor, and she was admitted to Royal Stoke University Hospital .
"The doctors started talking about moving her to Alder Hey, which we wrongly assumed was the name of a children’s ward. We certainly weren’t expecting her to be transferred to a hospital in Liverpool, over an hour’s drive away from home.”
While the surgery was a success, Gemma and her husband Lee started to worry about where they would stay while Scarlett was in recovery. That's when they were first introduced to Ronald McDonald House, located in the grounds of Alder Hey.
Ronald McDonald House is a charity that provides 'home away from home' accomodation to the relatives of sick children across the UK. The Alder Hey House is the largest in Europe, and offers a place to sleep, cook and retain some sense of normal life; a lifeline for families at a very stressful time, especially when they are far from home.
Gemma, who is also mum to Ruby, five, said: “Scarlett was operated on, and the procedure was a success, but Lee and I were left wondering where we were going to stay while she recovered in hospital. The doctors implied we could be there for months, and we were more than 50 miles away from home.
“That’s when we were offered accommodation at the Ronald McDonald House, which is in the grounds of the hospital. It meant that we didn’t need to worry about the stress of a long daily commute and being just a couple of minutes’ walk away from our poorly daughter meant everything.”
Recalling the warm welcome the family received when they check into the House, Gemma said: “The staff were so lovely, and the room was great." Keen to give something back herself, Gemma is holding a masquerade ‘Dinner, Dance & Giggle Ball’ on October 29.
She said: “This is something that Lee and I have been wanting to do for years but life has got in the way. We had Ruby in 2016 and then things were put on hold for a long time when the Covid pandemic hit.
“We’ve got a close-knit group of friends, who’re supporting us with the event. My best friends Emily and Billie have a huge experience within the entertainment industry, and they will be performing on the night as FunkyRhythmix band. I wouldn’t have been able to do this event without them."
Scarlett, now seven, is still an outpatient at Alder Hey but is hoping to be discharged on her next visit. Gemma said: “Scarlett recently told me that her biggest wish is to help other children and families, and from that the ‘Scarlett’s Wish’ concept was born.
"We’re so proud of our little warrior’'; she is the inspiration behind this wonderful evening we have planned, and we want to raise as much money as possible to support other families going through the toughest of times.”
To buy tickets for the ‘Scarlett’s Wish’ Dinner Dance and Giggle Ball or to offer your support for the event, please contact Gemma via Facebook or Instagram or email scarlettswish@yahoo.com.
READ NEXT:
Liverpool builders did not have password for account with £226k of match day car park cash
Dad who was 'life and soul' of the party found dead in the middle of the night
'Hardworking' lad went out for 21st birthday and never came home
Merseyrail issues 'major disruption' warning to passengers over power supply
