A TWO-YEAR-OLD Scots girl has been offered treatment at London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital after medical experts in Glasgow suggested she might not live into adulthood.
Valentina Jaconelli, from Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire, has been diagnosed with a severe heart defect, called Pulmonary Atresia with a ventricular septal defect.
The family sought a second opinion after doctors at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow put forward a “no further intervention” plan and suggested Valentina may not survive into adulthood.
Cardiac specialists at Great Ormond Street will carry out a further examination on the girl after reviewing her case notes at the family’s request. In a letter, doctors said they had a “slightly different interpretation” of Valentina’s condition.
The hospital added that it did not believe “end of life” care should be recommended because “the potential to salvage pulmonary blood flow still exists”.
Valentina and her parents will travel to London next month for a course of investigation which could last three days. ScotRail and Virgin have donated train tickets.
Friends and family have organised fund-raising events in Rutherglen and Bridgeton to help pay for their stay in the capital.
It included a children’s “super heroes” walk through a local park and fancy dress parties for families.
Her father, Antonio, 30, said: “We were not prepared to accept the ‘no hope’ message we received from Valentina’s doctors in Glasgow.
“We were sure the answer to her plight lay elsewhere, whether it was in London, America or Italy, where alternative rehabilitation techniques are available.
“We are delighted that Great Ormond Street believe there is something they can do for our girl. She is loved by everyone.”
Valentina was a year old before the couple knew there was anything wrong.
Her mother, Suzanne, 28, added: “When she was born, we walked out of hospital thinking we had a healthy baby, that nothing was wrong. She took unwell after her first birthday, when we had just returned from a family holiday in Florida.
“She was taken to the Sick Kids in Glasgow by ambulance in the middle of the night. They told us they believed she had a serious heart condition.
“One consultant told us that, in his 16 years, he had only seen two children with this condition undiagnosed at Valentina’s age. He said it was very unusual that it had not been picked up before then.”
Proud gran, Margaret Jaconelli, 59, added:”She’s a wee fighter. We will do anything for her.”
NHS Glasgow and Clyde was asked to respond to the family’s claim that they had ‘given up’ on Valentina.
A spokesman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board said: “A significant clinical incident review was undertaken on this child’s care and the findings shared with the family.
“The clinical team at the Royal Hospital for Children have suggested possible management options to the parents, including a second opinion from Great Ormond Street Hospital.
“The team at Great Ormond Street have suggested further investigations that could be undertaken either at the Royal Hospital for Children or Great Ormond Street.
“The parents decided that they wanted to take their daughter to London for these investigations with outpatient support from the Royal Hospital for Children.”
Valentina’s grandmother Margaret Jaconelli made headlines when she was forcibly evicted from her home to allow construction work to go ahead that was connected to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
She said: “She’s a wee fighter.”
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