We don't know how long we have with her ... every day is precious

TODDLER BORN WITH CONDITION WHICH CAUSES FLUID TO LEAK INSIDE HER BODY

- By KRISTY DAWSON

A TODDLER from Tyneside is understood to be the only person in the world with a rare disease which will take her life. Harleigh Tidd, three, has undergone 38 operations after being born with a condition which causes fluid to leak inside her body.

Her parents Stacie Hammond, 45, and Stephen Tidd, 28, from Wrekenton, Gateshead, said doctors could not understand what kept causing her lung to collapse and fill with fluid. Harleigh has had to have 12 chest drains fitted in an attempt to stop the fluid from spreading to her organs.

They later discovered that the fluid was chyle, which is formed in the small intestine, and it was leaking from her lymphatic system. It has now spread so much that there is nothing more they can do to save her life.

Stacie and Stephen have been told that the chest drain, which she currently has in, will be her last. When it stops working, they will have just days left with their daughter.

Stacie, who is also mum to Rhys, 24, Tyler, 23 and Rylee, 13, said: “I was absolutely devastated, because, as a mam, all you want to do is protect your children and keep them safe and I can’t do that for Harleigh because there is no research, there is no testing, there is nothing.

“The whole lymphatic system is broken, there isn’t a part of the lymphatic system that is healthy. It can’t be fixed. The disease that she’s got has become quite aggressive. We were sat down and we were told that this is the last drain. They can’t fit another one after this.

“When this drain stops working we will probably have two or three days with Harleigh before she passes away. She is on end-of-life care. The surgeon that fitted the drain estimated that she would hope to get 10 weeks out of the drain before problems arise.