Emily as a baby

A matter of weeks after giving birth to twin girls, Victoria Whittle realised the future was going to look very different for her babies.

The first-time mum had taken younger twin Emily to her local hospital in Burnley after she started being sick repeatedly and wouldn’t stop crying.

Told on arrival by a nurse that it was “probably colic”, within 15 minutes the tiny baby was surrounded by doctors inserting tubes and needles into her.

She was blue-lighted to the children’s hospital in Manchester where doctors delivered a devastating prognosis: Emily had meningitis, and they didn’t expect her to survive the night.

Thankfully she defied those odds and survived – yet specialists told Victoria her daughter’s future would be challenging when she was finally discharged eight months later.

Emily had experienced brain damage as a result of the illness. She had also lost her vision and developed epilepsy.

“It had been very touch and go, and when we left, they told us that she would face challenges throughout her life,” said Victoria.

“The meningitis had caused Emily to develop hydrocephalus (also known as water on the brain) and her brain damage was extensive. We weren’t given any sense of hope.”

Growing up, Emily faced a number of struggles – her mum said she found it challenging finding friends at school, and missed out on a lot of extracurricular activities.

When the twins turned five, Victoria signed Jasmine (Emily’s twin sister) up for Rainbows, a Girlguiding group for 4- to 7-year-olds. The parent did not hold much hope that Emily would be able to join her.

“I explained that Emily had only recently started walking........

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