Katelyn Lambert, 6, is breathing through a machine in hospital after suffering a blood infection stemming from a cut to her toe
A little girl who was the poster girl medical cannabis to be legalised in Australia has been rushed to hospital after suffering a severe blood infection.
Katelyn Lambert, six, suffers Dravet’s Syndrome, a rare and catastrophic form of epilepsy which can trigger more than a thousand seizures per day.
Her family fought hard for medical marijuana to be legalised after discovering cannabis oil eased her horrible seizures.
But it was complications stemming from an infected toe that led her to be airlifted to a Sydney hospital this week.
Katelyn was breathing through a machine on Wednesday night as family rallied by her bedside.
Her grandmother, Joy Lambert, told Daily Mail Australia the episode had been ‘distressing’ for the whole family.
Little Katelyn Lambert was diagnosed with Dravet’s Syndrome – a rare and catastrophic form of epilepsy – when she was younger (pictured in a cannabis crop)
Little Katelyn with her grandfather, Barry Lambert (left) and grandmother Joy (right). Mr Lambert donated more than $30 million to medical cannabis research
‘She’d kicked her toe or something, broken her toenail,’ Ms Lambert said on Thursday.
‘It had been cut off but it was cut off too short.’
Her worried parents took her to hospital after she said she ‘had an ouchy’ and they noticed she was wobbly.
Doctors discovered her toe had turned purple and cleaned it out but she was suffering a high fever.
The family are hopeful she will soon ‘turn a corner’ after doctors at the Randwick Children’s Hospital prescribed a targeted antibiotic on Wednesday.
‘They (doctors) seem to be hopeful today,’ Mr Lambert said.
‘It’s unrelated to her epilepsy- fortunately she hasn’t been having seizures during all this.
‘They’re hopeful today they can remove her breathing tube, she will be strong enough to breathe by herself’.
Little Katelyn was diagnosed with Dravet’s Syndrome – a rare and catastrophic form of epilepsy – when she was younger (pictured)
Katelyn’s father, Michael, was found guilty of criminal cannabis possession last year – despite using it to ease his daughter’s suffering
The family said little Katelyn’s latest hospital stay was ‘distressing’ for the family
The little girl’s grandfather, Sydney banker and Financial Review Rich Lister Barry Lambert, famously donated more than $33 million to medical cannabis research.
Her father, Michael, was found guilty by a court of criminal possession of cannabis last year, even though he was using it to help his ‘suffering’ daughter.
The family’s fight for change landed them in national newspapers and TV magazine show 60 Minutes.
Joy Lambert said the clan was trying to be strong through the latest ordeal.
‘My son had a good old cry I know, and his wife, she came in crying,’ she said.
‘You’ve just got to try and be strong and hope.’