MANY children manage to get through their young years without having to go to hospital - but these two were not so lucky.

Little Caitlyn Lee, from York, and Karleena Watling, from Selby, have both had to be rushed into hospital for frightening conditions when they were young.

Both are now happy and well at home, but their parents have not forgotten the traumatic experience of seeing them so poorly.

That was why they both lent their support to our Guardian Angels appeal when we launched it last year, urging people to help us create a new high-dependency unit for York Hospital's children's ward, so care for sick youngsters could be improved and kept local if possible.

Now they are both delighted that under a year later, all the hard fundraising work by our readers has already started to take effect after we handed over the first instalment of £35,000 to York Hospital.

As we reported yesterday, the money will pay for the appointment of a project nurse who will oversee the creation of the new unit.

Mum-of-four Maria Athey, 36, from Selby, went through every parent's nightmare when her little four-year-old girl Karleena, had to be rushed to York Hospital after she woke up screaming in the night with a blistery rash.

She was diagnosed with Scalding Skin Syndrome, and was given high-dependency care in a room opposite the nurses' station.

Today, Karleena, now five, has been left with a few scars from her frightening experience and has to wear an over 50 factor sunscreen outside.

Maria urged support for our appeal to help families going through the nightmare of a sick child.

"It's very good it's now starting (to happen)," she said.

"I think it's better for them (children) to mix - it's better if they can hear kids' noises outside in the corridor. I think that picks them up."

Caitlyn, from near Hull Road, had to be transferred away from York Hospital to Leeds General Infirmary when her tiny heart stopped beating at only five weeks.

The youngster, now nearly two, was later given a clean bill of health.

Mum Vicky, 28, said: "We think it's really important that there's a high-dependency unit at York for children and babies who need it when they're so ill, instead of having to be transferred to another hospital.

"It's upsetting when you're told your child or baby is so poorly without them having to be moved. We're really pleased that things have got moving - you never know if your child might need it."