"Amazing" Moray community support helping Lossiemouth girl recover after eight days in a coma
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THE Moray community is rallying around a seven-year-old girl who is recovering after more than a week in a coma.
St Gerardine Primary School pupil Bella Banbury was diagnosed with a rare coronavirus-related infection called PIMS TS – as well as pneumonia and sepsis – at the end of January.
Her symptoms were serious enough for her to be placed in a medically-induced coma and flown to Edinburgh Critical Care Unit, where she has remained for three weeks.
Bella's mother Cal told The Northern Scot that she feared for her daughter's life – and urged other parents to look out for the signs of PIMS TS.
"I honestly thought I was going to lose my girl," she said. "Being told my daughter has PIMS TS is the scariest thing I've ever heard.
"I can’t thank everyone who has looked after her enough. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone and I urge everyone to do some research on PIMS TS and look for the signs.
"There isn’t much information to hand as it’s so new – but it’s really important to act quickly if you have any doubts."
PIMS TS – paediatric multisystem inflammatory syndrome temporally associated with Covid-19 – presents in children between four and six weeks after a Covid-19 infection.
A fever is a common symptom, while stomach pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, rashes, cold hands and feet and red eyes may also occur. Not all children with the syndrome will become ill, but it can be severe.
Cal added: "Bella still has a very long way to go and I’ve been told to expect a rollercoaster journey, which has been true since she woke up, for some time.
"She has been gradually brought out of her coma. She had no idea we were in Edinburgh, how we got here or what was wrong with her.
"She is very weak, emotional and often just cries to go home. She is unable to walk, support herself sitting or feed herself just now but the physio team here work with her twice a day, as do the occupational therapists.
"She is still on lots of medication but they are weaning it slowly.
"I have no idea when we will see our home and our dog again but we really miss them."
Almost £10,000 has been raised for Bella since she entered hospital, after a fundraiser was set up by her friend Michelle, while thousands of messages of support, care packages and cards have found their way to her.
"I still can't find the words to describe how I feel about it, to be honest," Cal said. "Overwhelmed and grateful don't even come close.
"I cry every time I think about it because it means so, so much.
"The community support has been amazing, from Lossiemouth Community Council, Lossie 2-3 group and literally most of Lossie and surrounding areas.
"We’ve had care packages, food parcels, clothing, thousands of messages, comments, well wishes and prayers. We have even had cards sent to the hospital from people we don’t know who live in Lossie.
"Her head teacher has been in touch a few times a day and they have sent handmade hearts made by all students in P3 as well as cards and pictures too."
Bella's nightmare journey from Lossiemouth to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary began when she complained about a stomach ache on Wednesday, January 26 – before she was sent home from school with a high temperature.
As Bella's temperate reached 38.8 degrees Celsius the following morning, Cal was urged by a GP to visit Dr Gray's. Neither her or Bella have been home since.
"Dr Gray's were amazing," Cal said. "They suspected it was an inflamed appendix and hoped that antibiotics would settle it down, but when they didn’t they transferred us through to Aberdeen for more specialist care.
"We got to Aberdeen on the Friday night and she had an appendectomy on Sunday evening, even though they were quite sure the appendix wasn't the only thing wrong.
"It was her deterioration post-surgery that made the team in Aberdeen suspect it was more than her appendix and they confirmed she also had pneumonia, sepsis and a suspected PIMS TS.
"Her respiratory rate, heart rate, blood pressure and temperature were all very alarming and she had developed a rash all over her face which gradually spread over her body.
"She was then put into a medically-induced coma and we were flown to Edinburgh Critical Care Unit by Scotstar on Monday evening. The care she has received in Edinburgh has been phenomenal."
To donate to the fundraiser for Bella, visit www.gofundme.com/f/help-for-cal-and-bella-xx.
