A COMEDIAN paid a special visit to an eight-year-old who suffers from complex health needs ahead of a star-studded event.
Griff Rhys Jones met with Erin Sadler, who lives with her mum, Helen, and grandad, Philip, in Ipswich Road, Colchester, during a visit to East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ Treehouse, in Ipswich.
Erin has a number of complex health needs meaning she requires care 24 hours a day. Her various conditions include some which affect her heart, kidneys and liver.
When she was just a few weeks old she began to get lesions all over her body, and was taken back and forth to doctors trying to get a diagnosis – with Helen thinking it was a skin condition.
Eventually they were admitted to Great Ormond Street Hospital where Erin underwent extensive tests, following which Helen was told her daughter would need a kidney transplant at some point in her life.
Then the following year, Erin had a haemorrhage where she was revived with blood transfusions and would go on to need 56 blood and platelet transfusions in 52 consecutive days while medics tried to find a treatment.
Later, after being admitted to hospital with a chest infection, Erin went into respiratory failure which induced a hypoxic cardiac arrest where her heart stopped for 16 minutes.
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Now visiting the Treehouse once a week, it gives both Erin and Helen a chance for a change of scene from her intense care.
Erin met comedian Griff, a long time supporter of the hospice, alongside her mum, who said: “The Treehouse has become such an important place to us both and I love it when people like the media take an interest in her story.
“She’s a brave, inspirational little girl and I want as many people as possible to see her beautiful, smiling face.
“Erin’s been through so much but still has a real zest for life. This is a place where she has moments of real joy and feels happy, safe and secure.
“From my point of view, as a parent, that means so much.”
Griff’s visit came after Stephen Fry, Eddie Izzard and Johnny Vegas were named among the big names confirmed for this year’s comedy spectacular Happy Christmas Ipswich 2.
Taking place at Ipswich’s Regent Theatre on December 6 to raise funds for EACH, it follows the success of the December 2019 show which raised more than £70,000.
Kevin Clements, EACH director of fundraising, said: “Hopefully this year’s show will be bigger and better and raise even more money.”
Ticket prices start at £40 and are available via www.ipswichtheatres.co.uk and www.each.org.uk/griff.
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