Dad to cut off his 92cm-long dreadlocks to raise money for hospital that saved daughter’s life

By Toby Porter

A father is planning to cut off his dreadlocks to raise money for the hospital that saved his daughter’s life after she developed a rare condition related to Covid-19.

Molly Nana contracted Covid-19 at the end of November and started to deteriorate a few weeks later.

Her mum, Sarah Barry, said: “I hadn’t seen Molly like that before.

“She’s usually so chilled out so it was very out of character for her to be demonstrating how poorly she felt.

“She looked grey, had a headache and a temperature but then she started shaking and vomiting so I took her to our local hospital.”

The family were told that Molly could have meningitis or sepsis, and after several days she continued to get worse and developed chest pain.

Doctors contacted specialists at Evelina London Children’s Hospital for advice and the South Thames Retrieval Service (STRS) was sent to collect her.

The STRS are a team of intensive care doctors, nurses and ambulance technicians based at Evelina London.

When the very sickest children in the South East of England need to be transported to a paediatric intensive care unit in London, STRS use an ambulance equipped with intensive care treatments to bring life-saving care to the child.

Sarah, a mother-of-three, from Tonbridge in Kent, said: “It was like the A Team coming in, they were just unbelievable.

“They were so calm and weren’t phased by the situation at all. They got to work straight away and gave her medication.”

The 42-year-old added: “I knew the situation was as serious as it could get, but when we arrived at Evelina London everyone was so calm and we instantly felt safe.”

Molly was diagnosed with a new condition called Paediatric Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (called PIMS-TS or PIMS for short), which can affectthe blood vessels, particularly those around the heart.

It is very rare and can be successfully treated with anti-inflammatory drugs.

After three days in the paediatric intensive care unit and a night on the ward, Molly was able to go home on New Year’s Eve.

Sarah said: “Molly has recovered really well and is continuing to be monitored through regular check-ups.

“We are eternally grateful to Evelina London because they saved her life.

 “I had never heard of PIMS-TS before so I want to raise awareness of the condition so other families know what to look out for.”

Molly’s dad, Simon, is aiming to raise £5,000 for Evelina London by cutting off his 92cm-long dreadlocks in March.

The 44-year-old said: “This is my way of saying ‘thank you’ to the amazing staff at Evelina London who saved Molly’s life.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to support them, and to raise awareness of PIMS-TS so other families get the right diagnosis and treatment.

 “I’ve had dreadlocks for 15 years but when Molly came up with the idea of cutting them off to give something back to the hospital I couldn’t say no.”

 Dr Jon Lillie, a consultant in paediatric intensive care at Evelina London, said: “Molly’s heart was not functioning well when she arrived at Evelina London so we started treatment to support the heart and reduce the inflammation.

“She responded really quickly and made a full recovery. It’s incredibly rewarding seeing children get better, and when they come back and tell us about their fundraising it’s extra special.

“While PIMS-TS is rare, it’s something we need families to be aware of so they know what to look out for and when to contact a health professional if they are worried about their child.”

To support Simon’s fundraising, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/simon-nana