A Scots baby with a rare genetic condition has had pioneering transplant surgery to save her life after she was born weighing just 1lb and 14oz. Little Aria Leigh Foreman was born at 27 weeks on November 19, 2021, when mum Kayleigh Coyle was rushed in for an emergency C-section.
The 27-year-old school worker, from Glasgow, attended hospital when she noticed less movement and was asked to come back the following day for a growth scan. Kayleigh was rushed in for surgery after medics made a "30 second crash call” when they realised her baby's heart rate was drastically low.
Aria was brought into the world just one hour later but she was taken to the neonatal intensive care unit at the Princess Royal Maternity Hospital in Glasgow, where she spent three months of her life before being transferred to the QEUH.
As well as coping with health issues associated with her premature birth, Aria was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called complete DiGeorge syndrome. The condition means Aria, was born within a thymus gland - which produces white blood cells - and is vital for fighting infection.
Less than one per cent of children are born with the condition, which leaves them immunocompromised and is typically fatal after two years.
Parents Kayleigh and Liam were told their daughter would be one of under 70 children to receive a pioneering and life-saving thymus transplant at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) when she weighed enough.
She has now been allowed to go home after nine months in hospital.
Speaking to the Record, Kayleigh said: "Aria was finally discharged on August 4 after spending nine-months of her life in hospital and has check-ups every two weeks now.
"When she was diagnosed with complete DiGeorge syndrome it was really scary because no one could prepare us as no one really knew much about it.
"She is still on a lot of medication including antibiotics every day in case she gets an infection. We need to keep her very isolated so she is safe and have only recently started letting people come to meet her.
"Aria had the thymus transplant in March as we had to wait until she weighed two and a half kilograms. She went back for a biopsy three months later. As far as I'm aware, there is nothing to say it hasn't worked but the doctor said we need to wait until it has been nine-months to really see.
"She is a wee trooper and looking at her you wouldn't know half of what she has been through."
But the traumatic journey has been hard for the full family as new parents Kayleigh and Liam had to watch their first born struggle to breathe. The pair spent a lot of time apart when Aria was moved to a ward, as Kayleigh stayed Monday to Friday and Liam stayed on weekends.
Kayleigh continued: "Six months of our lives were full of bleeping monitors, tubes, bloods, scans, bad news, good news and so much more. Nothing could prepare you for what we went through and what we watched our girl go through.
"There were days when she needed to be reminded to breathe, days we watched them resuscitate her, days we held her down while doctors tried to find a vein for bloods and days we watched her numbers drastically decrease on her monitor hoping they would go back up.
"Some days they pulled the emergency buzzers and the full team were in the room within seconds. But everyday we sat there helpless as our girl's life was in the hands of all these doctors and nurses. We spent crazy hours sitting at her bedside.
"Our wee baby girl would not be here today without them. It is Aria's first birthday on November 19 so we're going to host a fundraiser for both hospitals and try to give something back to them.
"The staff have become more like family to us and they are absolutely amazing."
Donations to the fundraising page can be made by clicking here.
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