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Internet to the rescue as mum turns detective

Laura Fraser and baby daughter Isabella
Laura Fraser and baby daughter Isabella

A BEXLEY mum has spoken of her anger and relief after she solved her daughter’s mystery illness – by logging on to the internet.

Laura Fraser and her partner Lee Grace became parents in December 2006 but, at just six weeks old, they knew their daughter Isabella wasn’t well.

The couple from Bridgen Road found themselves in and out of hospital seeking answers for their daughter’s ill health.

Laura said: “We ended up taking her everywhere to try to find out what was wrong. Nobody seemed to be listening.”

Five months and numerous tests later, the distraught couple still had no answers, until Laura typed her daughter’s symptoms into the internet search engine Google.

Laura, 30, said: “Putting her symptoms into Google we found that she might have had cystic fibrosis. We went straight back to hospital for more tests and the doctors confirmed it. It was a real shock but a relief at the same time.”

Laura and Lee didn’t realise they were both carriers of the CF gene, meaning Isabella had a one-in-four chance of inheriting the condition.

She is now being treated at Kings College Hospital and her parents have vowed to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust to help find a cure.

Laura said: “I was angry that the doctors had missed it because it had been a constant battle for five-months.

“My daughter had 15 different tests all because the right test wasn’t done when she was baby. I was so angry and disgusted but I have tried to channel my energy into raising money for the trust.”

Isabella was initially assessed at Queen Mary’s Hospital in Sidcup.

A spokesman said: “Cystic Fibrosis is a rare condition which can be very difficult to diagnose, which is why last year the NHS locally took a decision to screen all babies for cystic fibrosis at birth. The test was not available at the time this baby was born. She also had other unusual symptoms unconnected with cystic fibrosis which contributed to a delay in diagnosis.”

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