Harriet among youngest to get the jab
VACCINE WILL HELP TO PROTECT VULNERABLE 11-YEAR-OLD,
A SPONDON girl with complex medical needs has become one of the youngest people in the UK to have the vaccination to protect her from catching Covid-19, which could kill her.
Eleven-year-old Harriet Gregory was given the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, and her devoted family hope this will unlock their lives and bring a much-needed return to normality.
Harriet is classed as clinically vulnerable, but due to her age, she does not fit into the criteria of being vaccinated and would have had to wait at least a further two months before being considered.
The first clinical trials in children from six to 17 years looking at the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine started last month and the data will be examined over the coming weeks.
In the meantime, Harriet’s father, Jason Gregory, has been constantly pressing for her to have the jab. He has been supported by her paediatric consultant at Royal Derby Hospital, Dr Richard Bowker.
Mr Gregory said: “This was based on the fact that if she contracted Covid that it would sim- ply kill her.
“It is important to point out that most of the medications Harriet is on to keep her alive are not licensed in the UK, but these medicines keep her safe and well and without them she would simply die.
“This week I had a call from Dr Bowker, who told me that he had been able to get approval to use a spare Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on Harriet and that he would come out to the house and administer it personally on Sunday.
“It seemed to go well and we have been keeping a close eye on her in case of any reaction. “I have pushed and pushed to make this happen, and Dr Bowker has been very supportive to make this happen. “Ordinarily, because of her age Harriet would not have been considered for vaccination, but the fact she has had it now makes her one of the youngest, if not the youngest child, outside clinical trials in the UK, to receive this vaccine.”
In 2009, Harriet was born with an undiagnosed life-limiting condition and was given only a couple of months to live. But the family were not prepared to give up on Harriet and looked for answers worldwide.
One of the main problem areas for Harriet is respiratory distress. She is not able to move on her own, has facial paralysis and is completely dependent on her parents and her medical team.
In the first few weeks of Harriet’s life, she was rushed to the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham for an emergency tracheostomy, as it was found that she was not able to swallow milk or medication.
Her parents were not allowed to bring her home when she was first born because of the complex nature of her problems, and she had to spend her first four months in the Royal Derby Hospital.
At 18 months old, Harriet had to undergo an 11-hour scoliosis operation on her spine in order to stop it from crushing down on her heart and internal organs. The operation was a success and saved her life.
Mr Gregory said: “There have always been challenging times in Harriet’s life and as her parents we have to put our own lives on hold and concentrate on getting her to the place she needs to be, which sometimes can feel like an impossible task.
“Harriet’s condition has deteriorated over the course of the last four years and she is now fully dependent on a ventilator in order to keep her alive. In the last six months, Harriet has died in the hospital resuscitation room and was brought back to life after nearly two minutes of being clinically dead. She has also undergone an eye operation to save her sight at the Birmingham Children`s Hospital in the last few weeks.
“The fact that we are also in the middle of a pandemic has made things extremely challenging for all of us, but we have to be vigilant in order to keep her safe.”
Harriet’s mum and dad and eldest daughter have had a vaccination in order to protect Harriet, along with the nurses and support workers that help at night with her.
Mr Gregory added: “As a family we feel there is now some light at the end of a very dark tunnel and look forward to some sort of normality.”
I have pushed and pushed to make this happen, and Dr Bowker has been very supportive. Jason Gregory