ANY new parent will fret about their newborn child night and day – the most innocuous cough or splutter is sometimes enough to see a mother or father consider a trip to the doctor’s surgery, or at least scour the internet to find out if something is wrong.

When Laurene Morrow and her sister started to notice Laurene’s young daughter, Freya, was having breathing difficulties, she wasn’t going to leave anything to chance.

After emergency visits to Colchester Hospital and consultations with specialists at the Royal Brompton, young Freya, now six-years-old, was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy with respiratory distress (SMARD) – and Ms Morrow's life changed in a heartbeat.

Years of doctors’s appointments, operations and check-ups have followed – but Laurene and her young family, which also includes three-year-old Morgan-Hari and one-year-old Paislee-Reign, have been given some respite in recent months after receiving a gift from the Make a Wish charity.

Freya, who is a huge Disney fan, was treated to three days at Derbyshire’s Hoar Cross Hall, which had been transformed into an enchanted manor especially for children and young people diagnosed with a serious illness or life-limiting condition.

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Ms Morrow said: “Freya always wanted to see Princess Belle from Beauty and the Beast – we applied online to Make a Wish and applied for it just before Covid so we could start the process.

“We’ve missed out on weekends away over the years and all sorts of fun things, but at the start of this month she got a special letter from Mickey Mouse [inviting her to the Disney experience].

“Being there was so magical – the children were normal with each other, which isn’t usually the case when children have disabilities.

“It was nice for Freya to be treated with a bit of normality – that’s what made this trip extremely special; she was treated the same way as healthy children would be.

“She met another girl who had a tracheostomy and it was nice for Freya to see other children who have issues she has in different ways.

“It was a scary few years, but Freya is very determined and full of life and full of energy – she’s got the attitude, and she’s got the sass.