POORLY four-year-old Harlee-Jae Procter has managed to cross off one of the items on her ‘bucket list’ – meeting Clarets star Danny Ings.
And the Premier League striker has promised to help the Bacup youngster – who suffers from a condition that means part of a chromosome, which could contain vital genetic material, has been lost or deleted – has pledged to help her with the rest.
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The star has also told Harlee-Jae, of Anderson Close, he wants to go with her to the zoo in what would be his first visit as well.
As revealed by the Lancashire Telegraph earlier this month, Harlee-Jae’s condition means she could die of liver failure at any time and without warning.
The microdeletion, which is so rare doctors have written a paper on her, causes issues including biliary atresia, which causes inflammation within the bile ducts, polycystic kidney disease, where fluid filled cysts develop in the kidneys, and nephrocalcinosis, which causes a build up of calcium in the kidneys that can cause devastating kidney failure.
Mum Sasha, 25, said the Turf Moor club contacted her after the story in the Lancashire Telegraph went nationwide.
She said: “It was a total shock. Someone tweeted Danny Ings a link to the story and they got in touch.
“They offered to come to the house but I didn’t want a Premier League footballer coming to the house.
“We went to Gawthorpe instead after training and the club have said she can go back another time to watch them train.”
Ings, who has hit 36 goals for Burnley in 113 games, hid in a cupboard and surprised Harlee-Jae on her arrival at the training ground.
Sasha said: “He kept telling her she was his new best friend and he kissed her twice and when he asked if he could kiss her a third time she said no.
“She loved it and it is all she talks about now. He is definitely her favourite player after this.”
Danny Ings said: “It was lovely for me to meet Harlee-Jae.
“Hopefully we will be able to put some things in place to do what we can for her.
“Harlee-Jae has a lot of things on her list she would like to do.
“We are going to contact the zoo and see if we can go there for the afternoon and look at the animals.
“I have got myself a new best friend now.”
Mum Sasha added the media attention had helped Harlee-Jae to become more confident.
She said: “She is completely oblivious to the media storm she has created with this list.
“She is famous and this has really brought her out of her shell.”
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