Vicious gossips claim my angel isn’t dying.. I wish they were right

Jan 16 2008 Ayrshire Post

LITTLE Jessica Findlay looks the picture of health and happiness – but this gorgeous child is dying.

She’s suffering from a disease so rare that doctors have only just named it.

Every day her doting mum Rachel wakes up fearing it could be her last with her precious four-year-old daughter.

And as if that’s not enough heartbreak for her to cope with, she’s the victim of vicious rumours claiming that she’s made the whole thing up.

Jessica was diagnosed with the disease which causes narrowing of her arteries when she was just 18 months old.

It’s called severe multiple bilateral palmary stenosis.

Her heart and lungs have become so badly damaged that she could die any time.

Operation after operation to widen her tiny arteries has failed to make any significant difference to little Jessica’s prognosis.

Rachel, 25, said: “There’s nothing they can do to save Jessica. I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that she’s going to die. I’ve even made arrangements for her funeral.

“She’s had operations to insert stents and balloons into her arteries and nothing really works.

“A transplant is not an option.

“Her heart is so enlarged she’d need the heart of a small adult and the lungs of a child.

“Doctors say that she’s not strong enough for the operation and even if it was successful the same thing would happen all over again to her new heart and lungs.”

On the surface Jessica, who is a pupil at Granny Smith’s Nursery in her home town of Troon, looks fit and healthy.

But in reality this little girl often struggles to make it through the day.

Rachel knows of only one other child suffering from the condition in the UK.

She explained: “She can only walk short distances, she still has to use her buggy. She needs to nap all the time.

“It’s hard for her because she wants to run around and play like the rest of the kids but she gets exhausted really quickly and has to go for a sleep.

“I nearly lost her on December 18. She stopped breathing and she was rushed to hospital by ambulance. Fortunately we made it in time.”

The devoted mum added: “To look at Jessica you’d never guess that there was anything wrong with her. And that’s been the cause of a lot of gossip and rumours.

“My health visitor raised a lot of money last year so that I could take her to Disneyland, Paris. People said some nasty things about there being nothing wrong with Jessica and that really hurt.

“Nobody has had the guts to say anything to my face but my friends have heard a lot of stories.”

She went on: “The most recent one doing the rounds is that I used £10,000 to buy a new car that could have paid for an operation to save Jessica’s life.

“Why would I do that? If there was an operation that could save her doctors would have done it by now.

“I’m on benefits so that I can look after Jessica, where would I get £10,000 for a car? The only reason I’ve got one is because it’s a Motability car.

“There’s a big disabled badge on the front.

“Believe me if that’s all it took to save Jessica there’s nothing I wouldn’t do to get the money.”

Rachel’s family and friends are very supportive — even when they’re struggling to cope with their own tragedies.

She said: “My cousin’s boyfriend died suddenly. He was great with Jessica and she adored him.

“A collection was held at his funeral and £900 was donated to Yorkhill Hospital. Jessica’s consultant was presented with the cheque.”

Jessica and her mum will visit Disneyland in Florida later this year thanks to the Make a Wish Foundation, which grants wishes to terminally ill children.

Rachel added: “I want to make the most of the time we have together. I want every minute of Jessica’s life to be fun.

“Jessica might not have a long life but I’m going to make sure it’s the best one I can possibly give her.”