‘DESPERATE’ parents whose three-year-old daughter has been ill her whole life are fund-raising for life-changing surgery to free her of pain and help her to hear for the first time.
Danielle Creed and David Wilcox’s little girl Sofia has been in and out of hospital all her life.
Sofia’s wish is to be free of pain and to hear for the first time.
Sofia’s hearing is severely impaired due to a condition called ‘glue ear’ – where part of the ear canal fills up with fluid.
As a result, she has never been able to speak – and recurring ear infections mean she is frequently in agony.
Due to the strain on the NHS, the couple have arranged for private treatment to make Sofia’s life better – and are appealing for help to meet the costs.
Danielle said: “Sofia has been a very poorly little girl from the moment she was born, and is constantly in pain.
“It’s horrendous – she is in agony every month with inconsolable crying, and has had febrile convulsions because we can’t get her temperature down.
“It has massively affected her life – she has missed out on so much, and has developmental delay.
“We constantly have to cancel outings and birthday celebrations, and she’s constantly being sent home from nursery.
“She’s absolutely petrified of hospitals due to the amount of times she spends there.”
And Danielle had to put her successful cleaning business on hold to become Sofia’s full-time carer.
“My mental health has massively deteriorated,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking to watch your child go through so much pain, it’s horrific.”
Sofia is now scheduled to have specialist surgery in early 2023 – but at a cost of £4,600.
“Sadly, due to the strain on the NHS, we have no option but to go private – but unfortunately we don’t have that sort of money.
“No child should have to go through so much pain. And she can’t tell us how she’s feeling – it breaks my heart.”
A smile from Sofia.
Houlton couple Danielle and David hope the surgery will mean Sofia is effectively able to hear for the first time, and stop the recurring ear infections.
“Our baby has been through enough and we want to do anything we can to make her life better,” added Danielle. “Fingers crossed, we’ll have a happy, healthy Sofia.”
They have so far raised over £1,500 of their £3,000 fund-raising target. Visit https://gofund.me/acadb358 to donate.
