Home for Christmas: baby Scarlett and her mum are all smiles after 18-week ordeal has happy ending

A WARWICK family’s Christmas will be extra special this year now that their baby daughter is home after she spent the first 18 weeks of her life in hospitals.

Kelly Godfrey, her partner Matt Hammond and their son Mikey, who live in Hill Street, have spent hardly any time together as a family since Scarlett was born seven weeks prematurely on July 21.

Scarlett has spent the last four months battling against hyperinsulinism - which causes dangerous drops in blood sugar levels, - at three different care units in different parts of the county.

But on November 15 her family were given the amazing news that she was well enough to come home.

Miss Godfrey said: “It feels fantastic. We’ve been away from our families and friends and it’s hard not to have your support network on your doorstep and when you have a five-year-old you are only seeing at the weekends - so just to have us all back together is so good.”

Tests carried out at Warwick Hospital’s Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) after Scarlett was born revealed that her blood sugar levels were very low and not improving.

She was later taken to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where a Hickman line was inserted into her chest for medication to be administered but within 24 hours she was taken to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for specialist treatment.

Miss Godfrey said: “When you have a baby you think everything will be fine and normal and you don’t expect what could come next.”

Scarlett was booked in for major surgery on her pancreas only for the operation to first be postponed and later cancelled after she miraculously responded to her treatment.

Miss Godfrey has described the care Scarlett received at SCBU and at Great Ormond Street as “amazing” and praised the London hospital’s staff for their understanding.

To thank the SCBU for helping Scarlett to get better, The Antelope Inn in Saltisford, Warwick, is raising funds for the unit at its Christmas Fair tomorrow (Saturday). The event starts at 1pm and will have medieval themed stalls and events, as well as Santa’s grotto.

Miss Godfrey said the fair would the perfect way to celebrate having her daughter home.