6 Mar 2023
A 10-year-old girl who is awaiting major surgery for cysts on her brain will have both parents with her in her recovery thanks to a campaign led by her family’s vet.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Clinical director Kim Taylor-Morton at Grange Vets in Norton, Stockton-on-Tees, with Maisie Harris. Image: Grange Vets
A Teesside vet has led an online fund-raiser for a couple whose daughter is preparing to undergo major surgery.
Kim Taylor-Morton, clinical director of Grange Vets in Norton, Stockton-on-Tees, set up the GoFundMe page in support of clients Shane and Hayley Harris.
Their 10-year-old daughter, Maisie, currently endures up to 30 seizures a day due to cysts in her brain that mean she is only able to attend school for an hour every other day.
She is due to have an operation at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital later this month.
But only one of her parents can stay at the hospital with her, meaning the other faces a potentially substantial hotel bill or staying at home.
Dr Taylor-Morton set an initial £1,800 target to cover hotel costs for the period Maisie is expected to be in hospital.
That has already been exceeded, with one anonymous donor contributing most of the required funds themselves.
Dr Taylor-Morton said: “They are lovely clients and Maisie is a really sweet girl.
“When I heard about the situation, I had to do something – initially to help so both parents can be close to hand immediately after her surgery, and for each other, but also so the whole family can have resources for ongoing care and make up for lost time when she is recovered.
“The response has been incredible – especially the £1,700 donation. It’s just what was needed to take the heat off.”
Mr Harris said the fund-raising was “life changing” for the family, whose pet English bulldog, Kobi, has developed a vital bond with both Maisie and her two brothers, Lawrence, eight, and Finley, six.
He said: “Kobi loves all the kids, and he senses the seizures now. It started a couple of months ago when we were eating and Maisie went to the bathroom.
“The dog went crazy. I thought someone was at the front door and went to check just as Maisie was starting to fall.
“The dog did it again a couple of days later. The next thing, she went into a seizure and we caught her in time. It is amazing. We know now he will bark or run to Maisie if something happens.”
The fund-raising page can be found online.
