Stevenage's baby Daisy still fighting for life after surgery

Emma Hart, from Stevenage, and her partner Ronnie welcomed their daughter, Daisy, into the world on June 19, but things rapidly took a turn for the worse after her birth.

Within hours, Daisy was diagnosed with two holes in her heart, TGA - where the pulmonary artery and the aorta are switched, faulty heart valves, and excess tissue on her heart.

Daisy, who is being cared for at Great Ormond Street Hospital, was due to have full or partial corrective surgery at the beginning of August, depending on what the surgeon found during the open heart surgery.

"Unfortunately, the surgeon couldn’t do any of the correction - either full or half - as her heart is even more complicated then they first thought," Emma's sister, Katie, explained.

"Instead, he put a band on her heart, which he hoped would improve her symptoms and help her cope better."

Daisy requires a machine to breathe, and has a feeding tube fitted. (Image: Courtesy of Katie Hart)

Katie says Daisy still requires a machine to breathe, and is still struggling, but has shown improvement since the surgery.

She said: "It will be a day by day situation, but the plan is to try and slowly get her to a place where she could come home while she waits for the full or half corrections.

"The surgeon hopes this band will enable her to get off all that she needs and go home, helped with medication until surgery.

"Obviously, she may not get there and would need to stay in hospital until she is older and stronger, but for now the hope is she may be be able to come home in a couple of months.

"She’s been a little miracle this far, and surprised many doctors and nurses."

Katie has set up a fundraising page for Emma and Ronnie, as neither of them are currently working so they can stay by Daisy's bedside. 

"It can’t make Daisy better, but it can go towards alleviating some of their worry and anxiety right now," Katie said. Visit gofund.me/e80cdc3f if you would like to make a donation.