KIDNEY TRANSPLANT: Ella’s brave battle is set to hit TV screensAugust 18, 2010
A brave tot who had both kidneys removed because of a rare illness is set to become a TV star.
The largest children's hospital in the UK, the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, has opened its doors to television cameras for a new ITV1 show Children's Hospital.
And the producers, Maverick TV, want little Ella Chadwick's story to feature in the 12-part prime time series.
Ella, from Platting Lane, Balderstone, is set to have a kidney transplant operation at the hospital on Thursday September 23 – two weeks after her third birthday.
She will receive a kidney from her father Martin who was thrilled to be a blood and tissue match.
Ella had both her kidneys removed in April last year as her only chance of survival against the rare Congenital Nephrotic Syndrome, a potentially fatal disorder that affects one in 10,000 people.
Sufferers of CNS cannot process proteins properly, passing them as urine, causing the organs to deteriorate and eventually fail.
Children's Hospital, narrated by former Coronation Street and Cold Feet actor John Thomson, who is also a patron of the hospital, shines a light on the bravery of the hospital's young patients.
They picked up on Ella's story following the Observer's coverage of her health battles.
Ella's mother Karen Hughes said: "One of the nurses came to us to say they had phoned after seeing her story in the paper. They want her to feature in the next series. They are filming at the hospital for the next five weeks up until Christmas for the new series. We are not sure yet when they will be filming Ella but we expect that they will film before and after her operation."
Martin will have his kidney removed at Manchester Royal Infirmary and Ella, who has survived with nightly dialysis following the removal of her kidneys last April, will receive the transplant at the neighbouring children's hospital.
Only one kidney is needed because a person needs one kidney to survive. Ella was allowed home on Saturday after 10 days in hospital with peritonitis.
She is prone to infections and ailments due to her condition because it has weakened her immune system.
Karen added: "Ella has never been away from hospital for longer than three weeks. All the staff know her now and she has been in so much this year. They have joked that they will have to start charging her rent."
http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1314095_ellas_brave_battle_is_set_to_hit_tv_screens_
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