Natasha Sargeant broke down in tears as doors to the ambulance opened and she saw her family and friends supporting little Sienna-Rose after her near death experience
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Emotional moment Sienna Rose is welcomed home
The heartbroken mum of a 19-month-old girl who collapsed during a holiday in Mexico broke down in tears as she returned to the UK this evening.
Little Sienna-Rose suffered a brain haemorrhage while visiting Cancun with her family – parents Natasha Sargeant, 31, and Liam Millen, 39, as well as siblings Harry, 13, and Liam, 11. She had surgery to remove a blood clot after the incident last week.
The family, from Croxteth, Liverpool, was left stranded thousands of miles from home, unsure whether the toddler has any lasting brain damage. In a bid to get Sienna home, the family managed to raise over £150,000, and pay for a medical repatriation flight which landed in Liverpool just after 5.30pm this evening.
The flight was made possible with the help of Lia’s Wings – a charity that provides air transfers for critically ill children. This evening, the toddler was greeted by her friends and family who erupted into a round of applause as she arrived at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital in Liverpool.
Sienna’s loved ones turned up wearing “welcome home Sienna” t-shirts, holding banners and carrying pink balloons as they awaited her arrival at the hospital, the Liverpool Echo reported. The girl’s mum was in tears as the doors to the ambulance opened as she saw her friends and family there.
Speaking to the Echo outside Alder Hey, Natasha said: “I can’t believe it, it’s amazing. We didn’t expect it.” She added: “Every time I close my eyes I’m in that room. I thought she was going to die over there. She had a bit of a bad flight, she was vomiting, she had a fever but she’s settled a bit now.
“She’s just had a banana. She will go in [to hospital] and she’ll have another CT scan, I’m guessing they’ll want an up to date scan and then see what they want to do – rehabilitation. At the minute she can’t sit up, she can’t walk, so it’s starting all of that again.”
Sienna’s nan, Cheryl Houghton, said: “These last few days have been traumatising for our family. We just thought we were never going to get Sienna home. [Sienna] being in a hospital so far away has just broken us all.
“The support that we have off Liverpool and the whole of Liverpool is absolutely amazing. Charities doing skydives – it’s just overwhelming the support we’ve got for Sienna.”
The girl’s aunt, Amy McFadden, was also overwhelmed with the support the family have received in trying to get her home to Liverpool. She said: “It’s been a living hell just knowing she was thousands of miles away from us. I couldn’t rest until I got her home, and thanks to everyone – everyone donating and sharing, thanks to the charity because without them we would not have got her home as fast as we have. I honestly didn’t think the GoFundMe would take off as much as it did. It’s been a whirlwind.”
Family friend Karla Sambor, who has known Sienna’s mum Natasha since they were 14, said: “The city has come together to bring her home. It’s emotional but amazing to be welcoming her back.”
