The British parents of a six-year-old girl with a rare genetic condition that cannot be treated on the NHS have raised 70,000 GBP to receive award-winning treatment in Poland.
Patient Hallie Campbell from Wigan in the UK has an aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) deficiency which affects only 130 people around the world.
Reports said that Hallie is the only female in the UK to have AADC.
The condition means that the brain struggles to produce necessary neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin.
AADC symptoms include walking and sitting difficulties and speech problems and are often detectable in the child’s first months.
With treatment for the condition not available on the NHS, little Hallie’s family has taken her to the Polish capital Warsaw to receive care at the Brodno District Hospital, according to reports.
After receiving 70,000 GBP for the treatment through fundraising campaigns, Hallie’s mother Lucy Campbell said on social media: “Thank you all so much for all your kind words, love and support and for helping us to reach our target!
“I can’t wait to see Hallie’s life-changing progress after surgery! Thank you so much for giving her this opportunity. Our hearts are bursting with gratitude.”
A team of experts at the Brodno District Hospital led by Professor Miroslaw Zabek have developed a new way of treating that condition that recently won the Golden Scalpel Award, according to reports.
Professor Zabek explained: “Gene therapy can help children who suffer from a very rare genetic deficit of dopamine and serotonin. Most of them die and only a few live up to 16 years of age. In Poland, only two cases of this disease have ever been diagnosed.”
According to local media, the two patients, identified as 13-year-old Kacper and eight-year-old Ania, have seen dramatic results in the three months following their operations.
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Story By: Lee Bullen, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder,  Agency: Central European News
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