Let's Help Lila

I saw this post on Facebook and it immediately tugged on my heart strings. I have recently been in touch with my local MP about the lack of mental health services available for young children. I have tried pushing for support to fund and set up hubs to make services available to families who have children who face struggles with social and emotional mental health.

Supporting young people's mental health is crucial, particularly through prevention and early intervention. 
Unfortunately services available seem to be a postcode lottery and thousands or children are going without the right mental health support.

The story I read is below - I don't feel this family or any family for that matter should face what Lila and her family are facing. I am hoping to try and raise funds so they can possibly get some private help for her.
If you aren't in a position to donate yourself, as I appreciate not everyone is, sharing the link is amazing too ♥️

 

THE STORY BEHIND SHEFFIELD'S LILA WHO WENT MISSING FROM SHEFFIELD CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

 

MESSAGE FROM THE MOTHER EMMA SHEPHERD

 

My name is Emma Shepherd and I would like to tell you a bit about my daughter Lilas story.

 

Lila has been an inpatient at Sheffield children's hospital for the last three months and has been diagnosed with Anorexia nervosa, depression and anxiety.

 

When lilas was first admitted on the 5th of April 2021 she was very underweight and hardly eating anything. She had been like this for a couple of months before.

 

From then to now she has got drastically worse and her mental health has deteriorated rapidly due to the lack of mental health support while she's been in there.

 

Lilas is limited to one counselling session per week and is confided to her room on a daily basis because she keeps trying to run away.

 

She often tries to run away and self harms because shes struggling to cope with being stuck in the hospital and wants to get outside.

 

We have been trying to get lila a bed in a specialist hospital but we are constantly told that there simply are none available because she requires an NG tube for feeds and needs restraining to do so. We have been told that lila is on a waiting list, however she has been on this list now for two months and is still waiting.

 

Lila is going out of her mind been stuck in the same room day in day out and I feel so helpless as her mother because I cannot do anything about it. I can't bring her home because of her condition so I have to leave her there and wait for news on a bed.

 

On Monday 19th July, Lila managed to escape and run past nurses and security due to staff shortages in the hospital. It was night time and was turning dark, she had no shoes, phone, money or anything.

 

One of the nurses called me and asked me not to worry but said my child was missing and the police was out looking for her.

 

I told my close friends, asked my mum to come and look after my baby amd took my 10 year old son out searching the streets around the hospital.

 

After an hour of no luck it started to go dark and I started to worry more so decided to post her picture on Facebook and asked people to keep an eye out for her and contact the police if they have seen her or know where she is.

 

I had a huge response and lots of people shared my post and came out to help find her.

 

The police informed me that three people had contacted them claiming to have seen lila in the crookes area heading for rivelin and the fields around it.

 

I was so worried with it being hot and her running that she was going to be dehydrated and with her condition this could be very dangerous.

 

About four hours after she was found wondering the streets of malin bridge about 3 miles away from the hospital. She was scared, shaken and very upset. She said she thought she'd never see me again but she couldn't face going back to her room in the hospital.

 

I feel so worried now for her safety and mental wellbeing. I am so frustrated with the lack of help and support from camhs.

 

If lilas was in the right place then this would not have happened and she would be getting better not worse.

 

I'm am crying out to get my daughter moved as quickly as possible to the right place because I honestly fear for her life.

 

I am a single mum of three and I need my little girl better so that she can come home to me, her brother and sister again.

 

I was hoping to attract the right attention to help my daughter get moved to the right hospital where she can be safe and get the help she needs.

 

I'm absolutely desperate and at the end of my teather and don't know what else to do. I just want to try and help her get moved faster because she cannot take being locked in that same room day in day out anymore.

 

Also there's is a big shortage of funding for mental health services and inpatient beds for children and this needs to change. I'm not only speaking for Lila but all of the other children in similar situations who are constantly fobbed off (sorry about my wording)

 

Thank-you for taking time to read my story about Lila