A FAMILY from York are desperate to get life-saving treatment for their baby girl who has a giant cyst occupying a third of her brain.
Baby Ada was born in June last year at York Hospital and for the first few months of her life everything seemed fine, but by the time she was four-months-old, mum, Ella Dean, says it became obvious something was wrong.
Little did Ella and her partner, Drew Millard, both 28, know that their family were about to have their world turned upside down.
READ MORE: Anger at plans to close well-used York pharmacy
"She was not meeting basic milestones and she couldn't meet your gaze when you looked at her," said Ella.
READ MORE: Urgent appeal to find man missing in North Yorkshire
"I had been trying to get to see a GP for some time, and at a routine appointment with the nurse she agreed that there was something not right so we took her to A&E.
"This was the week before Christmas and she ended up having a CT scan which revealed a massive cyst - about 6cm in circumference. It's bigger than a tennis ball and occupies a third of her head."
Doctors discovered Ada has dangerously large and very rare Arachnoid cyst which is filled with spinal fluid and is growing rapidly causing, brain damage, seizures, and blindness.
Ella, who lives in Acomb along with their older daughter, Lily, six, said Ada, now seven-months-old, is currently in York Hospital having been taken into hospital on Friday after having a seizure and needs surgery to remove the cyst.
"Our worlds have been flipped and we are now trying to raise funds to support her. She’s currently blind, has reduced movements in one side of her body and the sooner she has the surgery the better.
"We are due to have a meeting with surgeons in Leeds on Thursday (February 16), but they seem reluctant to operate on Ada in case she is left paralysed," said Ella, who works as a barmaid at The Fox pub in Holgate.
"We understand this, but we don't want to see her suffering and she's getting worse every day. I'm completely numb at the minute and just in 'mum drive' - we're just scared parents trying to do the best for her."
Ella's friend, Charlie Mandley, has set up a justgiving page to try and help the couple.
She said: "As you can imagine Ella and Drew have an enormous amount of stress and heartache to carry trying to navigate this devastating diagnosis for their beautiful little baby whilst trying to keep a happy and normal home life for Ada and their eldest daughter too.
"They are going to need financial help with the many costs involved in keeping Ada healthy and giving her the best chance in life.
"Currently there are the costs of getting to and from the appointments, of which there are between three and four a week, and with another daughter in primary school also needing care, juggling all of this, and working normal hours is virtually impossible, leaving them without their usual income.
"These costs are only going to increase if Ada is referred to London to a specialised neurology unit.
"Ella and Drew will also need somewhere stable for both the girls to live whilst reducing the amount of travel and disruption hospital visits will have. They currently live in a flat, and with the rising rent prices in the York area, moving into a more suitable property is proving very difficult. They will need to move into a more suitable environment for Ada that will ensure she can learn to navigate the world safely."
Currently they are trying to raise £5,000 to help with a deposit for a more suitable home and some money to help with the costs of getting to and from the hospital.
To support the appeal go to: https://gofund.me/bc4d4fb8
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel