Baby is finally home: Toddler who has lost all four limbs after being struck by the worst case of meningitis in 25 years is cradled by her parents after leaving hospital for the first time since September
- Kia Gott, from Wyke, West Yorkshire, has been in hospital since last September
- Her meningitis was the worst case one doctor had seen in a quarter of a century
- Medics feared Kia, now 17 months, would die – but she has defied expectations
- She has been left brain damaged, possibly blind and has lost all 4 of her limbs
- Yesterday Kia was allowed home on day-release from Bradford Royal Infirmary
- If the process goes well, her family will be able to bring her home more regularly
Heartwarming pictures show a baby struck by the ‘worst meningitis case’ in 25 years being cradled by her parents after being allowed home for the first time in months.
Kia Gott, who has had all four of her limbs amputated, has been in hospital since September and her family were at one point told by medics that she would likely die.
The 17-month-old has been left permanently brain damaged and possibly blind – but can still hear, even though doctors feared she would be left deaf.
But she refused to give up her battle and yesterday Kia was allowed home for the first time on a day-release basis from Bradford Royal Infirmary (BRI).
Her emotional father Paul, 35, from Wyke, West Yorkshire, described the moment as ‘the best present I’ve ever had delivered to my door’.
Although the long-awaited visit lasted just for one day, he and his wife Vikki Mitchell, 30, have been told Kia could be home permanently as of Monday.
Speaking about the moment his little girl returned home, Mr Gott said: ‘I have never seen Vikki cry as much as she has done today.
Heartwarming pictures show Kia Gott, who was struck by the ‘worst meningitis case’ in 25 years, being cradled by her parents Paul Gott, 35, and Vikki Mitchell, 30, after going home from the hospital for the first time in months
Kia Gott is improving day by day in the high dependency unit at Bradford Royal Infirmary after contracting the killer disease (pictured in hospital)
‘It’s just unreal – it’s the best present I’ve ever had delivered to my door. After all this time we just couldn’t believe it.’
The overwhelmed father-of-three, who also has Kayden, eight, and Elsie, four, with his wife, said Kia had spent most of the day sleeping.
He added: ‘She was awake when she arrived but after she’d had her feeds and medication she just settled and went to sleep.
‘Kayden and Elsie have been so excited – it’s been like a new lease of life for them.
‘With Vikki at the hospital 24 hours a day and me at home looking after them we’ve been apart so much. Elsie told me it was like the family was back together again.’
Kia is improving day by day in the high dependency unit at BRI after contracting meningitis C septicaemia.
But hopes were raised when a consultant told them earlier this year that Kia would be allowed home, which her parents said ‘felt like we won the lottery’.
Following a meeting with doctors at the hospital last week, the family have now been given a date for Kia to return home on a day release basis.
Her parents discovered a rash on their daughter’s face, neck and chest when she became ill in September last year.
Kia’s battle
Mr Gott noticed the discolouring of their daughter’s skin after going to check on her in the middle of the night.
Paramedics arrived but her veins had collapsed, so they had to drill into her tiny shin to give her emergency drugs.
The one-year-old has been in hospital since September and her family were at one point sent a letter by medics who said they were confident she was going to die
But she refused to give up her fight and yesterday Kia was allowed home for the first time on a day-release basis from Bradford Royal Infirmary (pictured being cuddled by her mother at their home in West Yorkshire)
If it goes well, the family can bring her home more regularly, according to Mr Gott, a self-employed window fitter (pictured at home)
Kia (pictured) contracted the condition before she could receive the Men C vaccine, which is administered to infants at about 12 months old
Kia’s parents began campaigning for the vaccination age to be reconsidered and started an online petition aimed at forcing discussion in Parliament in December (pictured in hospital)
BE WISE TO THE SYMPTOMS OF DEADLY MENINGITIS
Bacterial meningitis is very serious and can cause death in as little as a few hours.
Meningitis vaccines offer excellent protection, but they are not yet available for all forms.
Symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia include:
- Fever and/or vomiting
- Severe headache
- Limb, joint or muscle pain
- Cold hands and feet and or shivering
- Pale or mottled skin
- Breathing fast or feeling breathless
- A rash anywhere on the body
- A stiff neck – less common in young children
- A dislike of bright lights – less common in young children
- Very sleepy, vacant, or difficult to wake
- Confused or delirious
- Seizures or fits may be seen
Source: Meningitis Research Foundation
Kia was then rushed to BRI where medics told her family it was meningitis and she was not likely to survive.
Specialists told the family it was the worst case of meningitis C septicaemia they had dealt with for a quarter of a century.
Kia contracted the condition before she could receive the Men C vaccine, which is administered to infants at about 12 months old.
Why was the jab cut?
The Government stopped the vaccination for three-month-old babies last year. Instead, it was decided that the vaccine would be given at 12 months.
Kia’s parents began campaigning for the vaccination age to be reconsidered and started an online petition aimed at forcing discussion in Parliament in December.
According to the Meningitis Research Foundation, one of the reasons the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisation, which advises the Government, decided to withdraw the meningitis C vaccine at 12 weeks was because incident rates had dropped significantly, and it was believed that the new meningitis B jab, a breakthrough vaccine, would also offer some protection against meningitis C, too.
Another factor was the introduction in September 2015 of another meningitis vaccine, known as ACWY and given to children at the age of 14, which would help build ‘herd immunity’ that would also protect babies and young children.
Her emotional father Paul, 35, from Wyke, West Yorkshire, described the moment as ‘the best present I’ve ever had delivered to my door’
Although the long-awaited visit lasted just for one day, he and his wife Vikki Mitchell, 30, have been told Kia could be home permanently as of Monday
Mr Gott and his wife Vikki Mitchell, 30, discovered a rash on their daughter’s face, neck and chest when she became ill in September last year
Hopes were raised when a consultant told them earlier this year that Kia (pictured) would be allowed home, which her parents say ‘felt like we won the lottery’
The number of infants contracting meningitis C remains low, but it has risen since the vaccine at that age was withdrawn.
Statistics released by Public Health England show that in 2015-16, two children up to the age of five contracted the disease; in the year 2016-17, the figure had risen to six. In babies up to 12 months, the figure rose from one case in 2015-16 to four in 2016-17.
Kia’s crushed parents were told the devastating news by doctors that all four limbs would have to be removed if she was to survive.
The family have since had to move into a larger house in order to take Kia home.
But the move has put further stress on the parents and their two other children, elder brother Kayden and sister Elsie.
Moving into a new house
Mr Gott said earlier this week: ‘We’ve been given a new house by Bradford Council but it was a bit rundown, so we’ve been doing a lot of work.
‘It’s been like DIY SOS and we’ve had loads of help from everyone.
‘We’re going to need an extension because we will need a bedroom downstairs because we will have to sleep with her.
Following a meeting with doctors at the hospital last week, the family have now been given a date for Kia to return home on a day release basis (pictured are Kia’s parents Vikki Mitchell, 30, and Paul Gott, 35)
It will be the first time Kia (pictured) has been home since she was first admitted in September last year when she was ten months old
‘It is going to be life-changing, it already has been life-changing, and it is going to be emotional when she comes home because it has been a long time since she first went in.’
Well-wishers have donated more than £36,000 to the family through a crowdfunding page to support the family in the future.
A letter from the Countess of Wessex
Sophie Countess of Wessex, married to Prince Edward and patron of Meningitis Now, personally wrote to Kia’s family in November to tell them she is ‘completely heartbroken’.
She said: ‘I wanted to write to you after learning about your beautiful baby daughter, Kia.
‘I am completely heartbroken and devastated by Kia’s prognosis and can’t begin to imagine how you are feeling at this impossibly difficult time. I am so very sorry for what you are going through.
‘I know words are inconsequential but I felt compelled to reach out. I wish you peace, strength and hope as Kia rebuilds her strength and I send my love to your family.’
To make a donation to a new page set up for Kia’s care – which has raised more than £7,000 already – visit here.
Kia’s crushed parents, from Wyke, West Yorkshire, were told the devastating news by doctors that all four limbs would have to be removed if she was to survive (pictured in hospital)
Sophie Countess of Wessex, married to Prince Edward and patron of Meningitis Now, personally wrote to Kia’s family in November to tell them she is ‘completely heartbroken’ (Kia’s siblings, Shauna, Kayden, Mcenzie, Elsie and Paul kept a bedside vigil for the ill youngster)
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