Birmingham burns survivor, 7, in marathon fundraising bid

A girl who suffered burns to her body in a fire when she was a baby is taking on a marathon challenge in aid of the hospital that helped her.

Elizabeth was six months old and living in Qatar when an air conditioning unit in her room caught fire.

Now aged seven, she is running a marathon throughout July in a bid to raise £130,000 to buy a laser machine for Birmingham Children's Hospital.

Her father, Liam said she is "unbelievably enthusiastic".

"One morning my wife put her down for a nap and the air conditioning unit in her room caught fire and set fire to the whole room, her cot, Elizabeth, everything," he said.

"It only took about 30 seconds, and my wife heard her crying and went in and grabbed her out of the cot, put out the fire on her and rang an ambulance."

In the years since, Elizabeth has undergone 70 operations.

"She is an unbelievably enthusiastic child," he said.

"She never complains, she just gets on and does it, always has a smile on her face, [it is] unbelievable."

Liam said the family moved to Qatar in 2011, with Elizabeth being born there in 2014.

After the fire, doctors said they would not be able to treat her and she needed a specialist paediatric unit. They flew to London and were transferred to Birmingham Children's Hospital, with the family relocating to the city, so Elizabeth could get ongoing treatment.

The seven-year-old is fundraising for a Fractional CO2 machine, which Liam said fires lasers to help break down scars, improving movement and helping reduce the number of operations children will need, but they also hope will "benefit a lot of children" in need of treatment.

"The hospital saved her life several times and the team treating her these past seven years have been amazing," Liam said, "This machine is our way of contributing to the hospital, to Birmingham and to the burn survivors community."

Prof Naiem Moiemen, consultant plastic and burns surgeon at Birmingham Children's Hospital, has operated on Elizabeth over the years.

The machine works, he said, by breaking down scars, improving tightness, aiding movement, reducing itchiness and improving redness.

Currently the hospital sees 700 burns patients each year, 300 of whom need hospital admission, and the machine could benefit 50 of them, as well as patients from other departments.

"Elizabeth is amazing," he said.

"I have a sort of bond with Elizabeth and her family, because we have been on such a long journey together."

A JustGiving page has so far raised £14,000 towards the £130,000 goal.

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