“Harmonie-Rose was 10 months old when she took her first steps, much to our joy as her parents. But a few days later she fell ill.
She’d been off colour but had gone to bed as normal, so we were worried when we heard her coughing on the baby monitor, struggling to get her breath.
We took her to the Royal United Hospital in Bath and returned home later that day when Harmonie seemed to be improving.
The next morning she took a turn for the worse her lips turned blue and she began to have a fit."
Back to hospital
“Back in hospital the A&E doctors looked for a rash, but said it was viral because it disappeared. We were sent home and given a pass to go straight to the children’s ward if Harmonie appeared ill again.
At lunchtime Harmonie started to cry, before going all floppy. We rushed back to hospital for the third time. A rash was now appearing across her nose, spreading down her arms and chest.
The doctors told us that Harmonie needed to be transferred to the children’s hospital in Bristol. They didn’t know if she would survive the journey but they had to risk it.
We weren’t allowed in the ambulance and had to follow Harmonie to Bristol by car."
The worst rash they had seen
“By the time Harmonie reached Bristol her legs and arms had turned black. Consultants at the hospital said it was one of the worst rashes they had seen and gave her a 10 per cent chance of survival. But she fought back.
Sadly septicaemia damaged her legs and arms so badly doctors were forced to amputate them, along with the tip of her nose, just before her first birthday.
Harmonie has undergone more than 10 operations since falling ill in September 2014 and faces more treatment on her road to recovery."
Little miracle
“Harmonie is our little miracle, and fought so hard to stay here with her family. Life for Harmonie will be very different and our whole community are working very hard to provide her with the life she fought so hard to have.”
The family is now backing our Beat It Now! campaign.
“Children should not have to go through what little Harmonie did; they should not have to suffer the way she did. We were the lucky ones, Harmonie may have lost her arms and her legs but she can still enjoy her life.”
Update July 2015
"Harmonie-Rose has a cosmetic arm, and she is learning to hold things with and without the arm on, she is speeding around the house on her bum and does something new everyday!"
New Junior ambassador
September 2020 update. We are proud to make Harmonie-Rose our first ever Junior Ambassador
