Stockton girl, 6, returns to school after quadruple amputation
A six-year-old girl who underwent a quadruple amputation after contracting a rare form of meningitis has returned to school.Saffanah, from Stockton-on-Tees, was placed in an induced coma in January after the infection left her fighting for her life, and she had to have her forearms and lower legs amputated.Her mum, Sahdia, said she was initially told her daughter would not survive.After four months in hospital, Saffanah was finally able to return home - with her family saying, although her illness has had a huge impact on her life, it has not changed her.
"I felt my world turn upside down," her mum, Sahdia, said, recalling her daughter's devastating illness."I felt like I couldn't breathe - if anything happens to her I don't think I will survive."
Now, five months after becoming unwell, Saffanah has begun to gradually return to normal life, including attending primary school.Joanne Vollands-Ross, Saffanah's headteacher, said: "The children have been so excited - and Saffanah herself has been so excited. "She's like a personality - being greeted when she's coming in and everybody welcoming her."It's just her true personality coming out as she comes back to school again."
Despite her trauma, Saffanah's family say, if anything, the six-year-old is even more sassy than before, adding, even during difficult days, she has remained as polite as ever."She's doing amazing now," her mum said. "Even when she doesn't like having her dressings changed."It has affected her... but it's not changed her at all." Sahdia's thoughts have now turned to her daughter's future, and how she might achieve her ambitions, despite her quadruple amputation."She just wants to climb, she loves climbing," Sahdia said."I wonder if she's going to climb a mountain. I believe in her, she can do it. "She's going to climb a mountain one day."
Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
The drink that could lengthen your lifespan - and is linked to a lower risk of dementia, diabetes and heart disease
Drinking coffee might not only perk you up, it may even help you live longer, scientists suggest. Experts found caffeine—the component of the morning favourite that gives it stimulating powers—influenced how cells grow, repair and respond to stress. This, British researchers said, could provide some major potential benefits to longevity and explain how it wards off major killers like dementia, diabetes and heart failure. In lab tests, the team found caffeine triggered cells to enter an energy restoration system scientists call AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase). AMPK, an enzyme, acts similar to the fuel gauge in a car. When energy levels in a cell get too low, AMPK kicks in, triggering a series of reactions that help protect and repair it. Cells more able to access this system age slower, can repair DNA more effectively and respond better to stress, factors tied to combating ageing and disease. The team, from Queen Mary University, London, said this process could explain why drinking coffee has been linked to a lower risk of serious health conditions and a prolonged lifespan. Dr John-Patrick Alao, an expert in cell biology and lead scientist of the study, explained: 'These findings help explain why caffeine might be beneficial for health and longevity'. He added that the research also opened the door to developing drugs and therapies which could be used activate the same system in the future. In the study, published in the journal Microbial Cell, the team analysed how a type of yeast with similar properties to human cells—responded to caffeine. The research is the latest to highlight the potential health benefits of coffee. Earlier this month, US researchers found coffee lovers tended to have healthier hearts, putting them at lower risk of cardiac death. Experts from Tufts University, Boston, found that people who drank between two and three cups of black coffee a day, saw the most benefits, slashing their risk by almost a fifth. Other research has linked regular coffee consumption to a lower risk of depression, better liver health, improved weight loss and reduced odds of developing conditions like type 2 diabetes and dementia. Scientists are still working to understand exactly how coffee achieves its health boosting effects. While some—like the recent research point to caffeine—others highlight how the drink is rich in polyphenols, natural plant compounds with antioxidant properties that protect cell health, as another potential mechanism. But it's not all good news for coffee lovers. Other studies have linked coffee consumption to vision problems, increased risk of certain cancers, and heart disease. The NHS itself warns Britons that consuming more than four cups a day could lead to a dangerous increase in blood pressure, increasing the risk of serious problems like heart attack, stroke and even dementia. Experts have said part of the problem with unpicking the potential health benefits and risks of coffee consumption is the variety of ways people prepare and drink it. Some studies have found particular risks and boons are linked to if the coffee is instant or freshly brewed or if it is filtered. Another complicating factor is what people have with their coffee, if they add sugar, milk or flavoured syrups as well as how many cups they have per day. Heart disease and dementia, two health conditions coffee may protect against, are some of biggest killers in Britain. Approximately, 170,000 Britons die from heart and circulatory diseases combined per year in the UK, according to the British heart Foundation. This is equivalent to about 480 fatalities per day or roughly a quarter of all deaths. The most recent data suggests 74,261 people died from dementia in 2022, making it the biggest killer by single cause of death.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Kate meets Melinda French Gates a week after missing Royal Ascot
The Princess of Wales has returned to in-person duties a week after missing Royal Ascot by holding a meeting with Melinda French Gates. Kate and husband William invited Ms Gates to Windsor Castle on Wednesday where the trio are understood to have discussed their philanthropic work. The royal couple have made it onto Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential philanthropists. William and Kate were named in the Innovators category where they were hailed by the US publication for modernising royal philanthropy. Their Royal Foundation supports a number of their projects, including Kate's early years work and William's fight against the illegal wildlife trade. Ms Gates, also named as a leading philanthropist by the magazine, is the former wife of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and established Pivotal in 2015 to accelerate social progress through investments. The meeting was featured in the Court Circular, the official record of royal engagements, which stated: 'The Prince and Princess of Wales, Joint Patrons, the Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales, this afternoon received Ms Melinda French Gates (Founder, Pivotal) at Windsor Castle.' In a surprise move last Wednesday, Kate missed Royal Ascot for the second successive year as she seeks the right balance following her treatment for cancer. Since announcing in January she is in remission, the princess has been gradually returning to public duties and her appearances had increased in recent weeks. She was last seen in public on June 16 attending the annual Order of the Garter service with senior royals.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Expired medicines found at Walsall Manor Hospital
Expired medicines were found by inspectors in a Black Country hospital, as part of an unannounced inspection of its critical care Manor Hospital has been told by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that the department, which includes the intensive care unit (ICU), requires said they found expired medicine, gaps in expiry dates, and a lack of action in relation to fridge temperatures not being the correct temperature, during their inspection on 26-27 February and 3 Healthcare NHS Trust said it had developed an action plan since seeing the report. Lisa Carroll, chief nursing officer at the trust, said the teams were continuing to work through the is not the first time that the hospital's management of medicines has been criticised. The latest CQC report said inspectors found the critical care services did not always make sure equipment, facilities and technology supported the delivery of safe care. According to the report, a number of nurses were working additional shifts in other areas of the trust, breaching European Union working time conventions.A large number of consultants also did not meet mandatory training compliance rates and infection control measures such as arms bare below the elbow were not always followed. In regards to security, inspectors were able to tailgate staff through the intensive care unit several times without challenge. Rehabilitation services were also being reduced and compliance with learning disability and mental health training was low, according to inspectors. However, the report also referenced a large range of positives in the critical care levels met the recommended levels on each day of the assessment and risk assessments were completed service did well in its audits around compliance with pain management and nutrition and hydration audits. There were processes to record incidents and the inspectors heard of learning as a result. Ward rounds and safety huddles were found to be "thorough and holistic" and a sepsis outreach response team had been formed since the hospital's last CQC inspection, leading to an improvement in the hospital's sepsis figures. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
