Sister’s bravery gets a reward from Santa
A special gift from Santa has put a smile on a brave little girl’s face this Christmas.
Six-year-old Laila-Mae McAneny was chosen as a runner-up in this year’s Dear Santa competition after telling him how she was there for her big sister when she was in hospital.
The youngster, from Penny well, spent seven weeks at the Royal Victoria Infirmary to be by her sister Courtney Collier’s bedside when she was undergoing a planned operation on her spine.
Courtney, 14, was diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy at just nine months old and also suffers from epilepsy.
She went in for the planned operation at the beginning of the year, but afterwards became so poorly that her mum Danielle Collier, 34, said it was ‘touch and go’.
Thankfully, Courtney is now home and doing OK, and mum Danielle has praised her youngest daughter for being so grown up throughout the ordeal.
Danielle said: “Courtney took bad at the beginning of the year after a planned operation on her spine.
“She took poorly and it was touch and go. “For five to six days she hadn’t opened her bowels and doctors were concerned, so they took her down to theatre and found ulcers around the bowels so she had to have emergency surgery to remove part of the bowel.
“She was in intensive care and it was really touch and go for 48 hours, it was just awful.
“We spent seven weeks in total at the RVI and we stayed at Crawford House near to the hospital during that time.
“Then her great-nanna took bad with a chest infection and was in hospi-
tal for a while, but she pulled through.”
Danielle continued: “When Courtney was in intensive care in hospital I was reluctant to let her in to see Courtney as she was so poorly – but the hospital staff said it was best off that I let her see her sister.
“And Laila-Mae was as good as gold – I couldn’t believe how grown up she was.
“She would sit next to Courtney and sing and talk to her.
“She has such a good bond with Courtney and does a lot for her sister.”
Laila-Mae’s bravery has been rewarded with a £50 Argos voucher, courtesy of Stagecoach North East.