A desperate mother is trying to raise funds to bring her ‘Sleeping Beauty’ daughter, who suffers from a rare disease, home from hospital for Christmas.
Daniela Maria Martin Becerra, who has just turned two, was admitted to hospital in Santa Clara, Cuba, in June last year suffering from severe lethargy that left her largely unresponsive.
However, her mother, Lismary Becerra Romero, said that once in hospital, doctors made one mistake after the other and the family no longer had any faith in their ability to look after her.
In fact, far from helping her daughter, she said: “She started to lose the achievements she’d made.
“Her head drooped, her hands stopped being able to grip, and then she hardly laughed. Every day she did less of something and not more.”
Medics eventually diagnosed her with Guillain Barre Syndrome.
The cause of Guillain Barre Syndrome, which only affects one or two in 100,000, is not known but it is fatal in around 7.5 per cent of cases.
It is categorised as an autoimmune disease that attacks the peripheral nerves and often comes after a respiratory tract infection or gastroenteritis.
In the case of Daniela, she had the latter shortly before she started showing symptoms.
Of those who survive, around two-thirds recover well, while the remainder are left with some form of permanent weakness.
The family believes the hospital is not equipped to properly look after Daniela and they want to bring her home, where she will be loved and cared for by her family.
Lismary is now trying to raise funds online to bring her daughter home from hospital because she is scared she will keep on getting hospital-acquired infections.
She is also hoping to raise cash to kit out her home to be able to take care of Daniela and to purchase equipment, treatments, and other items that Cuba lacks.
Lismary took to social media on 9th December to wish her daughter a happy second birthday.
She wrote: “Happy birthday, my sleeping beauty! It has been a day full of emotions, sadness, joy, waiting.
“God bless you and allow you to have many more birthdays. I’m confident that your third birthday will be at home close to your family.”