A GIRL from Meliden has returned home for the first time since being in a medically-induced coma which her parents were told she might not wake up from after suffering a brain infection.
Isabella “Bella” Calvert, 10, developed sinusitis, a common infection of the sinuses, in late October, but while this normally clears up within a few weeks, Isabella’s infection spread to her brain.
She was admitted to Ysbyty Gwynedd, Bangor on October 29, before being transferred to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool that night.
Isabella, who also has autism and is a pupil at Ysgol Clawdd Offa, has been suffering from meningoencephalitis, which causes swelling of the brain.
Her mother, Sarah, who runs North Wales Foot Care with husband Michael, said that, on November 8, they were told their daughter may not wake up from her coma.
But Isabella has surprised everyone by making such a speedy recovery that, on Monday (January 2), she was able to come home after being discharged from Alder Hey.
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Sarah said it was a “surreal moment”, adding: “It’s amazing to think it’s only been a few weeks since we were told she wasn’t going to make it.
“I think even the doctors and nurses were surprised by her. She’s amazed everyone; even the neurosurgeon, who said it was one of the worst cases of infection he’d ever seen.
“She’s doing really well, wandering around the house on her own. I can see a big difference in her since she got home; she’s very relaxed and happy here.
“She wants to hang around with us a lot more, which is really lovely – watching the football with her dad, and painting with me.”
Isabella was able to return home after proving she was capable of walking up and down stairs, and is gradually returning to school for small but ever-increasing amounts of time.
It was only at the start of last month that she stood up for the first time since the infection (December 5) and sat in a wheelchair for the first time (December 6).
Her progress has amazed Sarah, who credited her daughter’s determination as the key to her recovery so far.
She added: “They took her to a set of stairs to see how she managed, and she was so determined; she was like Sonic the hedgehog going up and down them. She was brilliant.
“She had been eating and drinking on her own really well, which was another thing they wanted to make sure she could do.
“We took her out for bubble tea, and to Knowsley Safari Park, which was the first proper outing she’d had, and she managed that well.
“They reckon in about six months, with good rehab, she’ll be pretty much back to normal.
“At the moment, she’s still building up strength in her muscles, and her short-term memory isn’t so good, but we were told that’s quite normal and it’ll come back.
“They’re going to send us a wheelchair for if we want to go out for a longer period of time, but I don’t imagine she’s going to need it a lot. She certainly doesn’t need it around the house - I think (her five-year-old brother) Luca likes the wheelchair more than she does!”
Isabella is due to return to hospital for a scan at the end of January, and is having weekly blood tests at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd for the time being.
But her return home has also enabled Michael to go back to work, after he and Sarah had been staying at Ronald McDonald House; “home from home” accommodation situated next to Alder Hey.
A fundraiser set up on GoFundMe by a close family friend, Kim Winter, to try to ease some of their financial worries, has surpassed £8,000 in donations.
Sarah added her gratitude to those at Alder Hey, as well as everyone who has supported her family in the last few months through messages of support and/or financial donations.
She said: “Her vision took a while to come back, but even then I thought: ‘Even if she can’t see anymore, I’ll take that, from where we were’.
“Fortunately, she doesn’t seem to have been left with anything massive, or obvious. She’s still got the clot on her brain, so we’re still monitoring that very closely.
“We’d like to say such a massive thank you to everyone at Alder Hey, and everyone who has sent cards or messages, or helped us out financially.
“One of the best things to come out of this has been knowing how much people care.”
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