Kia Gott: Father overjoyed daughter with meningitis could be home for Easter
The girl's family are continuing to "scream and shout" as they campaign for the Government to re-instate the MenC vaccine.
Thursday 11 January 2018 17:56, UK
The father of a one-year-old girl who had all her limbs amputated due to meningitis says news she could be home for Easter is like "winning the lottery".
Paul Gott said it was the first time he and his partner, Vikki Mitchell, had been told any good news about their daughter Kia Gott's future having "lived hour by hour" since she was taken ill in September 2016.
Kia has spent the last three months at a specialist unit at Leeds General Infirmary with what medics have described as one of the “worst case of meningitis” ever seen.
Mr Gott, from Bradford, told BBC 5 Live Breakfast: "I just feel like I've won the lottery.
"We've had three months, four months, of absolute hell and just hearing nothing but bad news and more bad news on top of bad news and more bad news."
Mr Gott added: "It just feels unreal. It just feels like we can see a little bit of light.
The family are continuing their efforts in campaigning for the MenC vaccine for 12-week-old children to be re-instated after the Government withdrew it in July 2016.
The vaccine protects against meningococcal disease caused by type C meningitis bacteria.
The NHS said at the time it had been discontinued because "the success of MenC vaccination programme means that there are almost no cases of MenC disease in infants or young children in the UK".
But said Mr Gott said: "Four months after they stopped it you get the worst case of meningitis anyone's ever seen in 25 years. Unfortunately, that's my daughter.
"It's something I never, ever want anyone to go through again.
"This is why we're having to scream and shout at everyone to try and get heard by the Government."
Mr Gott added: "If anyone in government who stopped that just came to see Kia for one minute, it wouldn't need 10,000 signatures, they'd reinstate it straight away."
Mr Gott also described the night Kia was taken ill, saying: "What I saw in that cot that night is something that will never leave my mind.
"You wouldn't believe how horrific it was. From that day onwards, we've just lived every hour by hour. We haven't even been told day by day. She's been that poorly."