On 6th September, Leah’s 21st birthday, Kirsty Davies and Hugh Rogers will be skydiving from 10,000 feet, a 30 second free-fall, this time to raise funds for Birmingham ITU where our beautiful Leah spent her final days. Specifically, we want the funds to go towards improving the relative rooms and hospital accommodation for other families who find themselves in the heartbreaking situation where their loved ones are fighting for their lives in intensive care. Please see our Leah’s story below…

LEAH'S STORY...

Leah started suffering from swollen and painful tonsils shortly after her return from her first 'parent free' holiday to Majorca . Doctors diagnosed her with tonsillitis and sent her away with antibiotics. As a regular sufferer of tonsillitis several times a year, her family thought nothing so life destroying would follow. After several trips to A&E, she was diagnosed with glandular fever, and this condition would clear on its own. As the days passed, without any improvement, they were advised that she was suffering from liver failure. Leah's condition deteriorated and she was placed in intensive care at hospital and later transferred to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. Leah was diagnosed with the rare blood disorder 'Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis' (HLH) - a rare but life-threatening immune condition which causes organ failure as it destroys healthy cells instead of those infected. This explained why she could not fight the infection despite being pumped with drugs in a bid to reverse the damage.

Leah was struggling to eat or swallow and was extremely lethargic during her time at Bridgend hospital. Despite Doctors and Nurses trying their best to treat her, Leah's condition continued to deteriorate. Everything happened so fast and she was soon placed on the intensive care, ventilated and transferred via blue lighted ambulance to Birmingham Hospital.

On Tuesday 7th June 2022, she sadly but peacefully passed away surrounded by her loved ones due to multiple organ failure as a direct result of secondary HLH.

No one should die of Hysitiocytosis.