A baby girl who had all her limbs amputated after being struck down by an almost eradicated form of meningitis should be home in time for Easter.
Kia Gott contracted the extremely rare strain of the condition in September and is being treated at Leeds General Infirmary.
Doctors say it is the worst case of meningitis they have seen in 25 years and had to amputate her limbs last year in a bid to save her life.
Her aunt Donna Gott, 44, says her traumatised parents, Paul, a 35-year-old self-employed window fitter, and Vikki, 30, are struggling to come to terms with the full extent of her illness.
They have been told Kia could also lose her sight and hearing. In addition she may be left severely brain-damaged after contracting the C strain which was thought to have been almost eradicated in babies aged under 12 months old.
Kia also needs multiple skin grafts, has had some already, and faces months of rehabilitation.
Donna said: “At a meeting this week they discussed Kia’s condition and said she should be home for Easter.”
In addition other measures include the family getting a specialist cot that raises up and down, and a bath seat.
Donna added medics will look at removing a nasogastric tube and fitting a temporary peg feed until Kia develops her swallowing skills.
Paul and Vikki will be trained on how to use the peg and allocated a specialist community nurse, referral for an eye specialist and a hearing specialist.
“Kia will stay on the high dependency unit for about seven to eight weeks until she’s weaned off the strong drugs and the plastics experts will assess if Kia needs a further operation or not.
“Dressings removed from her belly and back have healed nicely and once Kia is on a normal ward she will be allowed home on day release to start with.”
Donna said doctors had also suggested making an appeal through the Press to ask if there is anyone in Wyke where the family lives, who would consider a house swap with Paul and Vikki so they can live in Woodside.
Agonisingly, Kia, who was just nine months old when she first fell ill, had been only months away from being given the Meningitis C vaccine on her first birthday.
Her parents are now looking at raising a petition so the rules can be altered and other parents spared their unbearable anguish.
