A Scots five-year-old is excited to be able to spend Christmas at home with her family – after spending last year in hospital dealing with a life-threatening condition.
Little Amber McRae was unable to spend the festive period with her family last year – as she was in hospital for six weeks after needing 29 surgeries. Brave Amber, from East Kilbride, had to undergo the gruelling and risky skull expansion surgery as a last chance effort to save her life.
Amber suffers from spina bifida and hydrocephalus and with the surgery was her last chance to bring down the pressure in her head. Mum Leanne Belch stayed by her side the entire time, with dad Paul and big sister Laila visiting every day.
The family, who were terrified that Amber might not make it – are over the moon that she will be home this Christmas.
“My daughter Amber spent last Christmas in hospital after having her 29th surgery,” Leanne said. “It was a risky operation, and we didn’t know if she would make it. Amber is only five years old.
“I was shaken to the core. It was a really high-risk operation and there was no guarantee that she would survive it, but at that point we had run out of options.
“The wait to see Amber after the operation felt like torture. Walking into recovery and seeing my little girl with tubes coming out of her, her hair shaved off, and her head had been cut open from ear to ear was the hardest thing, as a mum, to see.”
When Amber came round after surgery, she was devastated that her long brown hair was gone, with Leanne saying: “she burst out crying. Every time she looked in the mirror afterwards, she would cry about losing her hair. She didn’t recognise herself.”
Recovering from the operation was a long and arduous process and Amber was in a lot of pain.
“Spending those days in hospital after Amber had surgery was horrific,” Leanne said. “She had metal rods in her head that were turned each day to expand her skull, and she was screaming in bed in pain.
“It was traumatic to watch and was traumatic for Amber to have to experience that pain. It’s nothing any child should ever have to go through. I was utterly devastated and worried what life was going to be like for her after this procedure.”
While the family were split up over Christmas last year due to the surgeries, Leanne is grateful that this year they can spend it as a family, adding: “This Christmas, I’ll be very emotional, thinking back to last year which was really tough.”
The family are looking forward to happier times, hoping to be together this festive season.
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They are now supporting SBH Scotland’s Christmas Appeal, which will help ensure that families like Leanne’s have the support they need to navigate challenging times this Christmas.
Lawrence Cowan, CEO at SBH Scotland, said: “There are many children like Amber across Scotland who need our support and assistance more than ever this year.
“SBH Scotland needs to raise £1.4 million each year to ensure we provide essential support services to those living with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. These crucial services rely on donations to survive.
“Please donate to our Christmas Appeal to make sure families like Amber’s get support in the face of challenges this Christmas.”
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