Darwen parents perform CPR on three-year-old daughter in daily battle to keep her alive

Charlotte Drinkwater from Darwen is only three-and-a-half but has a number a life-changing conditions that lead her to stop breathing on an almost daily basis.

Coupled with this, she can go into cardiac arrest once a week, meaning her parents, Becci Barrow and Andrew Drinkwater, have to perform CPR on their daughter just to keep her alive.

Known as Charlie, the brave toddler has already undergone 11 surgeries due to a long list of complicated medical conditions.

Mum, Becci, said: "She has had 11 surgeries in total and the conditions she has mainly affect her respiratory system, but she’s had surgeries for a spinal closure, a brain decompression, three shunt revisions - it’s a long and complicated list.

"Her last surgery was in September and she ended up staying two months in hospital."

Charlie has been diagnosed with spina bifida, hydrocephalus, Chiari malformation, syringomyelia, neuropathic bladder, neuropathic bowel and global developmental delay, and last year she was also diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency.

When she was born on Valentine’s Day in February 2017, the tot spent four weeks in hospital before being allowed home.

However, within a fortnight she was back on the wards when she started to suffer with her breathing.

After a period of 10 months in hospital she made it home for Christmas, but not before another long stay in March 2018.

The combination of symptoms Charlie suffers means she often stops breathing, but about once a week she’ll suffer a more serious attack and go into cardiac arrest, meaning her parents have to be ready to drop everything at a moment’s notice to perform life-saving CPR on their daughter.

But despite the trauma her little body goes through, Charlie is a cheeky, smiley young girl.

Becci added: "She’ll go into respiratory or cardiac arrest and suddenly it’s all systems go.

"When it’s respiratory we use what’s called an Ambu-bag to pump air into her lungs and bring her round.

"But when it’s a cardiac arrest it’s the full CPR with chest compressions.

"Mostly we can bring her round on our own, but we instinctively know now when it’s going to be a 999 call."

The respiratory arrests happen when Charlie has a tantrum, as all young children do, but because of the makeup of her brain, her breathing instinct doesn't kick in as it should.

Becci added: "When she comes around she bounces back to normal quite quickly, and you just think ‘how is she going through all that and then carrying on?’”

Little Charlie is being treated at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital, and over the last month, her auntie, Jessica Barrow, who lives in Somerset, has been fundraising for the hospital charity, managing to raise more than £500 so far.

Jessica said: “Becci makes light of their situation to protect us I think, but hearing Charlie collapse and being powerless to do anything when I’m more than 200 miles away just really hammered home to me how important the hospital is, which is why I decided to do the fundraising."

Laura English, charity events officer at the hospital, said: “Charlie is such a brave little girl and an inspiration.

"The fundraising Jessica is doing will support projects focused on ensuring patients like Charlie receive the highest quality treatment in the best possible facilities."

To sponsor Jessica visit justgiving.com/fundraising/JessBarrow