Rebecca’s
pregnancy had been difficult, and due to excess fluid around the fetus, the
doctors decided to induce labor early.
Nobody
had a clue that there was something wrong with little Matilda until about half
an hour after she was born.
When
she came into the world, she had a big blue mark on her face that stretched
down one side of the body. At first doctors thought it was just a bruise – then
they realized their huge mistake.
Just
30 minutes later, the doctors told the parents that it was a birthmark.
Two
weeks later, Matilda was diagnosed with Sturge Weber’s syndrome, a very rare
neurological skin disease which also causes paralysis, learning difficulties
and seizures.
Matilda
quickly became so ill that she was taken to the Adler Hey Children’s Hospital
in Liverpool, England.
In
just a few days, the parents’ happiness had turned into extreme concern. They
didn’t know if they would see their daughter alive again.
On
top of everything else, they learned that Matilda had two holes in her heart.
But she was a real little fighter, and although there was a high chance that
she wouldn’t survive, she managed to make it through surgery.
Now Matilda has begun laser treatment to remove her
unusual birthmark. But it could take up to 16 years before it’s gone
completely.
“She has treatment every couple of months, and the laser
does make it look more red and angry, and her face is covered with blobs
afterwards, which then gradually fade away again,” Matilda’s dad Paul tells The
Daily Mail, and continues:
“People think we are bad parents – that we have somehow
caused Matilda to look like she does.”
Despite
regular painful laser treatments, Matilda is a really happy little girl.
But
there are many people who stare at Matilda and her birth mark. People have even
asked Paul and Rebecca if they left their daughter too close to a radiator and
let her get burned.
Besides
the birth mark on her face, the disease has also caused Matilda to become
almost blind.
She
also can’t walk, but thanks to a special walking frame, she’s been able to take
a few steps herself.
Matilda’s
whole life has bee
The family has started a GoFundMe page for Matilda to raise
money for a new wheelchair.
Please help us SHARE Matilda’s story so that more people can
help the brave little girl to get the new wheelchair she needs to continue
living her life in the best way possible!