Gateshead girl who has had 60 operations in five years left in limbo by coronavirus lockdown – Chronicle Live

A little girl who has had 60 operations and made numerous miracle recoveries in her five short years of life has been left in treatment limbo by the coronavirus lockdown.

Molly Bamborough was given a 10% chance of survival as a baby when she was born with a hole in her diaphragm and spent a month on life support.

But the Gateshead youngster defied the odds on that occasion, and on many more since.

Now five years old, hospital is the only home Molly has ever known as she endured a series of devastating setbacks.

At three years old, she became the first child to survive a complicated 15-hour diaphragm operation, and six months later, learned to walk again after a brain injury caused by going into cardiac arrest.

Molly has had six diaphragm repairs and been through sepsis six times.

She has now been in hospital for a year after becoming unable to absorb food, and before the Covid-19 lockdown was due to go to Londons Great Ormond Street Hospital for specialist tests.

Until restrictions are eased, Molly is being kept safe at Newcastles Royal Victoria Infirmary with her mum Elisha by her side.

Molly made Chronicle headlines at the age of five months when she beat a 10% chance of survival after five operations and 14 days on a ventilator.

At Elishas 21-week scan, doctors discovered Molly had a hole in her diaphragm and her organs were moving to her chest.

Elisha, 24, from Leam Lane, said: Since then shes had six diaphragm repairs because the patch to keep her organs in place kept failing.

They had to do something called a lattimus doris muscle flap repair, which had never been performed in the North East before, but the two surgeons who were performing it dropped their lists for that day and took Molly down to theatre for 15 hours. It was basically her gift of life.

They took muscle from her back and reconstructed her own diaphragm so it would be harder for her to reherniate. Amazingly, it proved to be a success.

Since then Molly has had further surgical complications and had to have part of her bowel removed after a perforation.

She seemed to be making progress until she contracted sepsis in her IV medication line and went into cardiac arrest.

Elisha said: Amazingly she managed to pull through but we noticed after she was taken off the ventilator she wasnt the same little girl, she wasn't playing with her toys or speaking.

An MRI confirmed she had a hypoxic ischemic brain injury.

We were devastated but the consultant told us all we had to do was keep bringing pictures in of her family, showing her the things she loved and replaying videos over and over again to try and help bring her memory back.

She lost the ability to walk and talk - it felt like the lights were on but no-one was home.

I was so angry because I thought. why let her fight through all this to then take the best thing she had away from her, which was her personality and character.

But a year on shes doing amazingly. After intense rehabilitation she has learned to walk again. Were still struggling with her speech but her funny character is starting to show again, she remembers everyone but just struggles to get words out.

But another major setback means Molly and Elisha havent been home for a year.

She is currently on medication and oxygen 24 hours a day and is fed intravenously as her bowel is not tolerating food.

Mollys grandma Michala Kennedy said: Just before lockdown wed decided she was going to be sent to Great Ormond Street Hospital because theyve got specialist equipment, so we were in the process of organising that, but weve now had to hang fire.

Elisha said: She's still fighting through it all, she's always smiling and you wouldn't believe she has been through all that she has.

The doctors keep joking she's like the little hospital celebrity, but the sad truth is the hospital has been her only home for five years.

Every single staff member has played a massive part of her life and have all given her exceptional care. Weve also had incredible support from Crawford House and the Sick Childrens Trust.

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Gateshead girl who has had 60 operations in five years left in limbo by coronavirus lockdown - Chronicle Live