Thousands raised to help family of ‘England’s poorliest girl’
PARENTS ‘OVERWHELMED’ BY DONATIONS
FAMILY, friends and kind-hearted strangers are rallying round a fouryear-old girl said to be fighting for her life in hospital after contracting Strep A.
A huge fundraising campaign has been launched to support the family of Camila Rose Burns, from Bolton, as public health bosses investigate the recent deaths of six young children and a worrying rise in cases.
Camila is on a ventilator at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool and her dad, Dean Burns, said staff described her as ‘the poorliest girl in the whole of England.’ He said he has been ‘living in an absolute nightmare.’
The appeal on fundraising platform GoFundMe was launched by Camila’s aunt, Laura Daniels, and has reached almost £8,000. She said Camila’s parents, Dean and Kaye, ‘will not be leaving her side’ and as a result, ‘no income is coming into the home.’
Writing on GoFundMe, she said: “As you may have seen in the news, my niece is currently fighting for her life in Alder Hey Children’s hospital after becoming infected with Group A Streptococcus which has also led to other complications.
“Dean and Kaye understandably have not and will not leave Camila’s side during this absolutely heart-breaking situation. Due to this, there will be no income coming into the home. We all pray for Camila and are with Dean and Kaye every step of the way.”
Laura yesterday reported no change in Camilla’s condition. She told the M.E.N: “We are absolutely overwhelmed with the donations so far and this now means Dean and Kaye do not need to think about work and finances while they remain at Camila’s side 24/7.
“Camila has a sister Florence, aged five and brother, Alfie, aged 15, at home whose worlds have turned upside down. We are praying Camila can fight this, but it’s a very long road ahead. Alder Hey Children’s Hospital are outstanding and we are incredibly thankful for their care and support. Dean and
Kaye would like to thank every single person for their prayers, care and love at this heartbreaking time.”
Dean said Camila went from dancing on Friday night last week with her friends to feeling ‘a little bit under the weather on Saturday’ and needing emergency care on Monday.
The UK Health Security Agency said there has been a rise in rare invasive Group A strep this year, particularly in children under 10, with five deaths of under-10s in England since September. A separate case has been reported in Wales, taking the known UK total to six.
Dean said: “When we got here Monday, they said she’s the poorliest girl in the whole of England. To go from dancing on Friday night with her friends to a little bit under the weather on Saturday and then a bit more bad on Sunday, she’s basically not the same girl any more. It’s heart-breaking.”
There was a sickness bug going around Camila’s school and she complained about her chest hurting, he added. She was taken to hospital last
Saturday where she was prescribed an inhaler and told she could go home – but her health deteriorated a day later.
Dean said: “She just completely changed. She was restless.”
After being taken back to hospital, Camila needed life-saving intervention. Dean said: “We shouted some nurses down and we had to leave the room. They put her to sleep and she’s been on a ventilator ever since, keeping her alive. It’s the worst thing that can ever happen to anybody.”