Skydive mum's special thank-you to medics

CHARITY CHAMPIONS

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A GRATEFUL mum who took her fundraising to new heights by completing an adrenaline filled skydive has now raised over £2,000 for Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity, as thanks for the lifesaving and life-changing care her two-year old daughter received after she was born with a gap in her spine.

Lauren Rickhuss, 28, from Walsall, took the plunge with her best friend Jennifer in June this year, to mark the third anniversary of the day she received the news that her daughter, Ellarae, would be born with severe Spina Bifida, during her 20-week scan.

The condition meant Lauren's baby's spine hadn't developed properly, her prognosis was poor, and Lauren was faced with the unthinkable decision of whether to continue with her pregnancy.

Lauren could feel Ellarae’s kicks inside her and she knew she had to give her a chance at life, so she prepared herself for what would come next, meeting with surgeons at Birmingham Children's Hospital.

As soon as Ellarae was born, she was transferred to Birmingham Children's Hospital, where Consultant Neurosurgeon, Mr Solanki, performed a 13-hour operation to close the gap in her spine.