MY BRAVE GIRL SAVED HER SISTER

When Sophie Bourton, 34, discovered her daughter's diagnosis, it meant she could ensure her second child wouldn't suffer the same fate

- LOUISE BATY

Dear Eva, I often think back to that moment when you were first placed in my arms. Minutes old, it was the beginning of your life, but it was the start of a new life for me, too. After a long labour, you were finally here - my first baby.

The next day, in September 2020, we went home with your daddy Justin, then 31. We loved you so much, but you were unsettled, Eva, hardly sleeping and losing weight.

I can still remember when the doctor first suggested something might be wrong. The enzyme levels in your liver were high and you were admitted to Hereford County Hospital's children's ward.

Despite tests, doctors couldn’t pinpoint the problem. As you lay in your hospital cot, my arms ached to hold you and I felt helpless, knowing you were suffering but not knowing why.

Years earlier, I'd studied biology and genetics at university and, desperate to help, I grabbed my phone and started to do some research. 'I'll find out what’s making you poorly,' I vowed, and as you slept, I read up on liver conditions and scrolled through medical papers online. Every free moment, I'd scribble down notes.

It gave me a purpose, distracting me from my worry. Your poor daddy felt powerless, stuck at home, working but unable to visit us due to Covid-19 restrictions. But he encouraged me every time we spoke on the phone and went through what I'd discovered.