Tiny Katie Maguire suffers from cerebral palsy as well as a rare form of epilepsy and has daily seizures which prevent her brain from developing.

She contracted the illnesses when she was born six weeks prematurely and now needs 24-hour care.

Her desperate parents Mekila Maguire and Gary McCann are now pleading for the public to help them raise £250,000 to send sick Katie, who will celebrate her first birthday on Monday, to America for a life-saving operation.

So far Mekila and Gary, who used to live on Outram Street and now live in Northern Ireland, have raised a massive £125,000 but still need another £125,000 to reach their daunting target.

'Traumatic'

Gary told Chad: "At 34 weeks pregnant Mekila had a placenta abruption, she lost a lot of blood and was rushed to hospital.

"Our baby was delivered by an emergency Caesarean section.

"The next hour was the most traumatic and horrifying experience.

"Katie had no heartbeat and was unable to breathe by herself. At 18 minutes after delivery the doctors finally got a heartbeat but they were breathing for her.

'Fighting'

"We were told that our baby daughter had been starved of oxygen for approximately 45 minutes and had suffered severe brain damage.

"She was fighting for her life. After a few hard days Katie was able to breathe on her own but she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and was having epileptic seizures.

"The weeks following had many ups and downs, but at two-months-old we were able to go home together.

"Unfortunately, Katie has spent most of her time back in hospital."

The family has been backed by generous people across Northern Ireland, who have rallied round to take part in a variety of events, including fun runs, barbecue nights and a sponsored supermarket bag packing.

• For further information or to help the family visit www.keepbabykatieawake.com.

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