When two-year-old Orla Hard started vomiting and struggling to walk, her parents expected the NHS to provide answers. Instead, they were sent home repeatedly, told their daughter was simply fighting off a common virus.
Her mother, Stacey Hard, a 32-year-old from Nottingham, refused to accept this diagnosis. Her maternal instinct screamed that something was terribly wrong with her little girl. This persistence would ultimately save Orla's life.
'We were made to feel like we were overreacting,' Stacey recalls, the frustration still palpable in her voice. 'But I knew my daughter. I knew this was more than a sickness bug.'
After multiple trips to the GP and A&E at King's Mill Hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield, where clinicians insisted it was a viral infection, Orla's condition deteriorated drastically. She began losing function in her legs and was clearly in immense pain.
A Mother's Fight for a Scan
Stacey's unwavering determination finally led to a CT scan. The results were every parent's worst nightmare. Doctors discovered a massive arachnoid cyst on Orla's brain—a fluid-filled sac that was causing dangerous pressure and swelling.
The condition was so severe that she was immediately transferred to the critical care unit at Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham. She underwent emergency surgery to drain the cyst and relieve the pressure on her brain.
The Long Road to Recovery
Today, Orla is on a difficult journey of recovery. She requires intensive physiotherapy to relearn how to walk and talk, milestones she had already achieved before the cyst stole them away.
Her family is now fundraising for private treatment and specialist equipment, hoping to give her the best possible chance at a full recovery. Their story is a stark warning about the critical importance of listening to parents.
'Never give up if you know something is wrong with your child,' Stacey urges other parents. 'You are their voice. Fight for them.'
