29-06-2025
- Health
- South Wales Guardian
Ammanford family heartbreak over young daughter's diagnosis
Eira Lewis was a fully healthy toddler before April 12, 2025.
But on that day, Eira's life changed when she woke up after a nap at 3pm and began to experience vomiting, her eyes rolling to the back of her head and a temperature of 41.8 degrees.
Eira was a healthy toddler. (Image: Rebecca Fewings) Eira's mother, Rebecca Fewings said: 'It's been a bit of a whirlwind. She's gone from being a fully healthy toddler who was fully potty trained and very bright to now suffering from this condition.
'We've gone from a toddler who could do everything to one that has no muscle tone and has to be tube-fed baby food.
'When we were taking her to A&E her vomit was turning black, and she was turning grey and blue. They found she that had some swelling on the brain. They didn't think she would make it through Easter weekend. They had the death certificate ready.
'They told us that she was gone, that she was no longer with us. They turned off the life machine and the doctor waited 15 minutes. But when we came back into the room she was still breathing. Eira has a different path.'
The two-year-old's life changed on April 12, 2025. (Image: Rebecca Fewings) Eira is currently battling a rare and life-threatening condition known as Acute Necrotizing Encephalitis (ANE).
Due to suffering from involuntary movements of the limbs and not being able to follow any commands or make facial expressions, Eira did not qualify for neural rehab.
Eira did not qualify for neural rehab. (Image: Rebecca Fewings) Rebecca continued: 'We were shown the MRI scan of her brain. The brain should mainly be dark but 90% of Eira's brain is white. She has a badly affected brain injury.
'One of the main consultants said that if they didn't know Eira and her circumstances, they would say the child is no longer breathing. They can't tell us if we have nine days, nine weeks, nine months or ninety years.
'Now we just want to give her the best quality of life possible, for however long that might be, by going to Folly Farm and doing things together as a family.'
Eira with mum Rebecca, dad Phil and 10-month-old sibling Angharad. (Image: Rebecca Fewings) Eira lives with Rebecca, her father Phil Lewis and 10-month-old sister Angharad.
The family hope that by sharing their story, they can raise awareness about ANE, besides connecting them with others who have gone through similar challenges.
