Bella Moore-Williams, her mum Francesca, dad Lee and big brother Bobby caught up with the Good Morning Britain team on ITV earlier today to fill them in on their very happy Christmas indeed.
For only a matter of months ago, it looked like Francesca and Lee were going to lose their baby girl as she was admitted to hospital in Cambridge in the UK in July.
Bella was just fourteen months old when her parents became concerned with her health as clumps of her hair were falling out and she was having trouble sitting up by herself.
After a series of tests, the hospital staff believed that she was suffering from mitochondrial disease, a disease which causes cell failure and primarily affects the brain, heart and muscle in varying levels of severity.
The baby girl deteriorated so rapidly that parents Francesca and Lee were advised to say their final goodbyes to her as the hospital prepared to switch off her ventilator.
Family gathered all around to support the young parents and they took this – what they believed to be, final – heartbreaking family photo with Bella and her big brother Bobby.
(Photo: YouTube/USA News Today)
Incredibly, thirty minutes after the ventilator was turned off, Bella began to squeeze her dad’s hand, breathe without assistance and as her mum put it “started kicking and screaming”.
The amazed doctors then confirmed that Bella did not in fact have mitochondrial disease as suspected, but biotinidase disease instead, a genetic disorder which is not terminal and is completely treatable.
The overjoyed family told Good Morning Britain that they had a wonderful Christmas together with their son and little girl, who is going from strength to strength every day.
What better Christmas present is there than that? We can’t think of a single one!
