Harmonie-Rose was ten months old when she fell seriously ill. He contracted a meningitis that was about to end his life, and that it caused the amputation of the four limbs. But against all odds, this little Briton came forward with a sweeping force, and today is an example of struggle and overcoming.
With four and a half years, Harmonie just started school and walk, eat and draw alone. Nothing seems to stop his eagerness to discover the world, to play and to be a girl like everyone else. His story has moved us and we wanted to share it with you.
They gave him a ten percent chance of survival
Harmonie had begun taking her first steps with just ten months, and she was a happy and healthy baby. But on September 27, 2014 she fell ill. Initially, it seemed that it was just a cold, but her parents noticed that it was difficult to catch her breath after the coughing attacks, so they decided to take her to the hospital.
In the emergency department they performed a medical examination and after experiencing a slight improvement, the child was discharged. But the next morning he woke up with bluish lips and started having seizures. Again in the hospital the doctors reassured their parents, because the baby did not seem to present any alarm sign, so it was sent back home.
But at lunchtime, Harmonie's health worsened markedly, and a red wine stain appeared on the tip of her nose, spreading rapidly through the limbs and trunk.
In the hospital she was transferred by ambulance to another center specializing in children, and there the parents received the devastating prognosis: their daughter had contracted type B bacterial meningitis and doctors only gave him a ten percent chance of survival.
But the days went by, and against all odds the health of the little girl began to improve, although the damage caused by the septicemia caused by the disease, forced the doctors to aim the four limbs and the tip of your nose.
See this post on InstagramA shared publication of Hope 4 Harmonie (@ hope_4_harmonie_rose) on Dec 1, 2014 at 11:47 PST
From that moment on, Hamonie-Rose's life has become a constant struggle to get ahead and for doing what the rest of the children their age do. His parents have not given up at any time, and they fight with their daughter so she can have a life as independent and happy as possible.
Small steps, great advances
The first thing their parents did was to launch the "Hope for Harmonie" campaign with which they ask for donations to improve your daughter's quality of life through sessions of hydrotherapy, physiotherapy and the acquisition of prostheses for all four limbs.
When the girl was discharged, the family moved to another house, because they lived on a third floor and wanted Harmonie to have the least possible architectural barriers to continue developing. So they chose to buy a house on a ground floor and adapt it to the new physical condition of their daughter.
See this post on InstagramA shared publication of Hope 4 Harmonie (@ hope_4_harmonie_rose) on Dec 13, 2014 at 5:16 PST
The nine months after the amputation of your legs and arms, Harmonie had to undergo a dozen more operations until she got her first prostheses. And although her mother explains that, at first, the girl did not want to wear them, little by little she realized the amount of things she could do thanks to them:
"One day we went to visit a research center on meningitis and there we met other children who were in the same circumstances as Harmonie. It was a day full of emotions. Our daughter met Ellie, another girl who also amputated the four limbs but that he could walk thanks to his prosthetic legs. Harmonie found it incredible, and from that day he decided that he would start using his own prostheses to be able to do the same thing Ellie did "- explained his mother a year ago, in statements to the Bathchronicle newspaper.
That day was the first of Harmonie's new life, who gradually left the wheelchair adapted to start taking his first steps with his new prosthetic legs. And since then he hasn't given up a single day!
"Children should not have to go through everything she is going through, nor suffer what she suffered. But we are very lucky. Harmonie has lost her arms and legs, but she can still enjoy life," their parents say.During these years, Harmonie has not only learned to walk and handle her arms, but also attended daycare and this year celebrates that school has begun for the first time. His parents say that She is a determined and very fighter girl, and that although she perceives differences with respect to other children, she never gives up and wants to do the same as others.
"She’s crazy about learn to ride a bike, and as soon as she gets more confidence with her prostheses we will teach her to do it "- said her mother last year -" But she already does most of the things other children of her age do: she eats herself, draws, plays with the iPad, Go up and down stairs, and sometimes use your wheelchair completely independently. She is an amazing girl "-
As we have seen on other occasions with other similar cases, it is really surprising the desire to overcome children, his desire to live and fight against adversity. Harmonie also has some parents who support her, and who are not only at her side but also fully trust her and her abilities. Because this little girl has her whole life ahead of her, and she still has a lot to show the world.
Meningitis, a very aggressive disease
Meningitis It is a very contagious disease which may be caused by a virus, being the most frequent and least severe form, or by various bacteria, which is the most aggressive, although less frequent.
The symptoms of meningitis usually appear quickly, so it is essential to detect it in time and act quickly to avoid complications such as sepsis, a generalized infection in the body, which can lead to serious damage to the patient or even death.
When meningitis is caused by bacteria, it can be treated with antibiotics, but sometimes the infection progresses so quickly that the treatment is not effective and the patient dies. Therefore, the best tool is vaccine prevention that can cause these infections.
In our country there are several vaccines against meningococcal meningitis, depending on the type of bacteria:
On the one hand we have the meningits C vaccine, which It has been included in the vaccination calendar for 15 years and it is given to all children at two and six months of age.
On the other hand we have the meningitis B vaccine, which in our country it is not included in the official calendar but pediatricians recommend it, because although its incidence is very low, it is responsible for seven out of every ten meningitis diagnosed, and its consequences can be life-threatening. The commercial name of this vaccine is Bexsero, for children, and Trumenba, for adolescents.
As we read in the news, it seems that meningitis B was responsible for the disease that contracted the small Harmonie-Rose in the United Kingdom. Precisely this country was a pioneer in including the meningitis B vaccine in its official calendar, although this was not until September 2015, a year after the girl contracted the terrible disease.
There is also the ACWY meningitis vaccine, which is not included in the official vaccination schedule of our country but is administered in very specific cases, both to infants and to older children and adolescents.
Pneumococcal vaccine, better known as Prevenar 13, included in the official calendar with three vaccination guidelines at two, four and 12 months. Pneumococcus is a bacterium that can cause serious infections, including meningitis.
Anyone can suffer from meningitis, but children under 5 years (and especially infants below 12 months), adolescents, young adults and those over 65 are the highest risk groups.
Photos | Hope4harmonie_rose
