I thought I was just picking my daughter up from school with a tummy ache – it was much more sinister
A MUM has revealed her horror after her six-year-old daughter's stomach aches turned out to be a rare genetic disease.
It all started when mum Betty - who didn't want to share her last name - received a call from her daughter Esmee's school, saying she needed to be picked up as she had a stomach ache.
Esmee was also vomiting and had blood in her urine.
Following an initial visit to their local hospital, a pharmacist advised Betty that she should call 999.
When paramedics arrived, they decided to take Esmee to Sheffield Children's Hospital.
The youngster underwent several tests, including a urine sample were taken.
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To mum Betty's dismay, the results revealed that Esmee's kidneys had failed.
She was then taken to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where she was sedated, ventilated and put on dialysis.
Esmee was then diagnosed with a rare genetic disease called atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS), a disease where antibodies can attack your cells.
It can affect any organ in the body but in Esmee's case it attacked her kidneys.
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Luckily, she was able to take a life-saving medication called Eculizumab.
Only days later, Esmee had recovered enough to be taken off filtration and be transferred to a regular hospital ward in Nottingham.
Betty still dwells on the ordeal she faced with her daughter.
She said: "It was a very scary and horrific time for us but the consultant was so reassuring and professional, so we knew we were in good hands."
Thankfully, Esmee was discharged just in time for Christmas last year.
She still has to take life-saving medication every two weeks and her family are learning how to live with her condition.
But Esmee is now back at school full time and has been able to restart swimming and football lessons.
What is kidney failure?
Acute kidney failure occurs when your kidneys suddenly become unable to filter waste products from your blood.
When your kidneys lose their filtering ability, dangerous levels of wastes may accumulate, unbalancing your blood's chemical makeup.
usually tends to develop rapidly and is most common people already hospitalised, particularly those critically ill. It can be fatal and requires intensive treatment but it also many be reversible.
Symptoms may include:
- Decreased urine output
- Fluid retention, causing swelling in your legs, ankles or feet
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Confusion
- Nausea
- Weakness
- Irregular heartbeat
- Chest pain or pressure
- Seizures or coma in severe cases
Betty decided she wanted to raise money for the hospital.
So, when she heard her friends Martin and Kirsty were doing the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, she decided to join in.
They will hoping to complete the 25 mile trek in just under 12 hours and are also hoping to raise £5,000 for the hospital.
Betty, of Rotherham, South Yorkshire, said: "We initially called them crazy until we decided to be crazy too.
"Then some of our friends and family decided to join us and we are now a team of nine.
"The group chat is filled with links of walking boots, screenshots of the walks we are doing and any training tips for this amazing challenge."
The mum-of-one added: "Not only have they saved Esmée's life, but they also looked after us so well and were amazing support during such a traumatic time."
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Phoebe Marriott, an events fundraising assistant at the hospital said: "Yorkshire Three Peaks is a really special event and it is amazing to see people take on such a big challenge.
"We are so grateful for the support of Team Esmée; their fundraising will help Sheffield Children's to continue providing incredible care for children and young people."
