LITTLE Olivia Cullen has been in hospital since Christmas Day.
With difficulty breathing, and appearing to have some kind of seizure, the one year-old was rushed that morning to the Royal Victoria Hospital where she has remained while doctors try to establish what went wrong.
Currently her Downpatrick family are trying to help raise money for the MRI Scanner Appeal, which aims to see a scanner installed in the Children’s Hospital.
The Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children is the only major hospital in the UK and Ireland without a scanner for children. Seriously ill children attending the Royal have to wait to use the adult scanner and some have to travel to England to do so, such is the demand. The delay also results in more invasive tests, some involving radiation, being carried out.
Olivia’s mum Emma said Olivia has suffered some brain damage and they have yet to discover the extent of the impact. She doesn’t believe an earlier scan would have impacted the diagnosis in her case, but described the nine day wait for her scan as very difficult.
“It was the worrying and the waiting that was so hard,” she said, explaining that children had to be taken by ambulance with support staff to the adult scanner, in what could be a lengthy process.
“Olivia has had to have an operation to cope with a reflux, but at the end of the day at least she is still here, and we are being very positive about her recovery.
“Before she took ill Olivia had had the norovirus and was in hospital and, of course, I wanted her home on Christmas Eve. Luckily we were up early on Christmas Day and found her.”
With initial fears over whether Olivia would pull through, and the impact on family life with daily trips to the Royal, Emma admits it has been a difficult few months.
Helping them cope, however, is their focus on fundraising for the MRI Scanner Appeal. A recent live music night at the RGU raised £3,000 and they also plan a charity golf day in Downpatrick on August 31.
Sarah Quinlan, of the Children’s Heartbeat Trust, one of charities helping to raise £2m for the MRI Scanner Appeal, said they were coming up to the £1m mark.
“We are nearly halfway there,” she said. “The new scanner would be in a child friendly environment during what is a very stressful period.
“We understand there are financial difficulties for the Trust, and while it is not ideal that charities have to take this on we simply want to make sure this scanner gets installed as quickly as possible.”
To make a donation visit www.mriscannerappeal.org or contact Sarah on 07584 164 815/ sarah@childrensheartbeattrust.org
Olivia’s uncle, Roger Cullen, who is helping co-ordinate fundraising has also extended thanks to Cosy Roof, Catriona from Wrap and Roll and Strangford Fuels for supporting them at the RGU fundraiser and all those who donated on the night.