Girl, 10, 'will never be the same' after half her skull removed following trampoline fall
Aaliyah Rashid, 10, was having fun with nephew Zak, three, when she tried to do a flip on the trampoline and hit her head with the head injury triggering a stroke and leaving her brain swollen
A little girl "will never be the same" after she had half her skull removed in major surgery following a freak garden trampoline accident.
Aaliyah Rashid was enjoying some fun with her young nephew when disaster struck. The 10-year-old was bouncing on the trampoline before she attempted a 'flip' and hit her head. She was rushed to hospital after having a stroke and her brain was so swollen that medics had to cut out half of her skull to keep her alive. Her sister Sinead Watret, 22, issued a warning about the dangers of trampolines, after hospital staff told of the large number of children brought in with injuries after playing on them.
The accident happened on March 10, and Aaliyah, was taken first to hospital in Durham before she was rushed to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle for six hours of surgery. Sinead's son Zak, three, witnessed the accident and was able to say what had happened.
"Aaliyah will never be the same as she was before, as the stroke was massive, she has lost all movement on her left side," said Sinead. "Zak said that she tried to do a flip and banged her head, he saw exactly what happened. The trampoline still has all the protective foam on, but it can just take the tiniest bang to cause a stroke, according to the doctors.
"The hospital said so many children go in for treatment after trampoline accidents, they are very common. The doctors said that her brain was so swollen that the line in the middle of her brain was over near her ear. It was really bad.
"She was fine at first, she was able to walk from my house back home, which is about five minutes away, but she got worse at home. She turns 11 on April 24, but she is going to be in hospital for months; she may have to move into a house which is specially adapted for her needs."
Sinead and Aaliyah's mum Kelly is being supported by her other children, Beth, 19, Natalie, 27, and Michael, 25, and they are helping with her other daughter Sofia, 13. Sinead added: "Sofia is upset as she and Aaliyah were very close. It is financially draining to get to hospital and back, it is an hour and a half by bus."
Once the metal plate is used to replace her missing skull, Aaliyah will need rehab before she is able to go home. Aaliyah’s mum Kelly Parker, 43, has been staying at the Newcastle Children's Hospital at the RVI, with Aaliyah initially in intensive care.
Doctors say they will be able to use a metal plate to replace the part of her skull they removed, but she faces a long recovery. "She can’t sit up unaided, she’s not allowed to eat, she can’t go to the toilet on her own, it’s awful to see my little sister like that," added Sinead. “You can’t cry when you’re with her because she’d get upset.
“They’ve said it’ll be about September by the time they put the metal plate in her head but the rehab will take longer. She won’t be allowed to come home until then at least, they said she might even be in for Christmas.
She's a big personality. We’ve all been brought up as a family and not being able to see her every day is hard and her not being herself." A fundraiser has since been launched to help the family with the costs of the 52-mile round trip from their home in Willington, Co Durham, to the RVI, in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Family friends are also planning to shave their heads to raise money, after Aayliah had half her head shaved during her op. Almost £300 has already been raised and an iPad donated to keep her entertained in hospital. You can find out more about the fundraiser here.