Hi, my name is Kara, and I’m the proud mum of my beautiful daughter, Daisy.

When Daisy was just 5 years old, our world was turned upside down. She came home from school bleeding, and I rushed her straight to A&E. At first, we were told all is normal and it could be hormonal — something no parent expects to hear about a child so young. But just two weeks later, it happened again, and this time we knew something wasn’t right.

A consultant quickly referred us to Great Ormond Street Hospital, where Daisy underwent biopsies after doctors discovered unusual growths. After an agonising week of waiting, we were given news no parent is ever prepared for — Daisy had HPV, human papillomavirus, causing painful growths, bleeding, and ongoing complications. Doctors were left with very few answers as to how or why this had happened to such a young child. They had never seen this in a child daisy’s age and most of Daisy’s treatment is purely experimental in hopes it will cure the HPV or at least give her some relief between flare ups.

Since then, we have been on an exhausting and emotional journey spanning nearly three years, desperately searching for a treatment that works. By the age of just 8, Daisy has already endured 8 operations, each time requiring catheters, and heartbreakingly, the growths have returned every time.

As a last resort, Daisy began an intensive treatment involving Avastin, delivered through a port fitted into her chest — something most commonly used for cancer patients. She bravely went through this treatment every two weeks for 5 months, but sadly it had to be stopped as it began to affect her kidneys.

We as a family cannot express our gratitude enough for the teams at GOSH that are in charge of Daisy’s care. They have been nothing short of incredible and worked so hard to help Daisy.

Daisy now spends much of her life in and out of hospital, between Southend and Great Ormond Street, attending appointments, treatments, and reviews whenever possible. Despite everything she has been through, her strength, courage, and resilience are nothing short of incredible. She continues to face each day with a bravery that inspires everyone around her — we truly believe she has the heart of a future nurse.

As her mum, my greatest fear is that Daisy’s childhood will be defined by hospitals, pain, and uncertainty. That’s why my dream is to give her something magical to hold onto — a chance to simply be a child. I would love to take Daisy to Disney World once her treatment is complete and her port is removed, to create happy memories that will last a lifetime and remind her that there is so much joy beyond hospital walls.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read Daisy’s story and for any support you can give. It truly means the world to us.