‘We are all so heartbroken’: TOWIE’s Kelsey Stratford is left devastated as her sister Kennedy, 8, has been rushed to ICU after contracting coronavirus
TOWIE’s Kelsey Stratford has revealed her sister Kennedy, 8, has been rushed to intensive care after she tested positive for coronavirus.
Taking to Instagram on Sunday, the reality star, 19, said she was ‘heartbroken’ as her sister already has ‘severe breathing problems’ because of her SMA illness, which was made worse on Saturday after contracting the virus.
Sharing a picture of Kennedy in her hospital bed, she wrote: ‘So as you can imagine me and my family are all heartbroken because yesterday Kennedy got rushed into hospital and got tested positive for covid19.
‘We are all so heartbroken’: TOWIE’s Kelsey Stratford was left devastated as her sister Kennedy, 8, was rushed to ICU on Saturday after contracting coronavirus
‘She is really fighting but she has severe breathing problems as it is so I can only imagine how hard it is for her now. she is in intesive care (sic).’
Kelsey went on to explain in another post: ‘My little sister kennedy got rushed into hospital yesterday and tested positive for COVID19, we are all so heartbroken as kennedy has severe breathing problems from her terminal illness SMA as it is.
‘So this is very dangerous for her. Kennedy was high risk to covid & we tried our best to shield her from this terrible virus but unfortunately because of her low immune system she caught it.
Struggle: The reality star, 19, shared a picture of her sister in hospital on Sunday, and said her sister already has ‘severe breathing problems’ because of her SMA illness
Emotional: Kelsey shared a close up photo of her sister in hospital, as she said: ‘Im so sorry my little baby. You can do this’
‘She doesn’t deserve this’: Alongside pictures of her sister over the years, Kelsey claimed ‘life is so cruel’ after her sister was diagnosed with COVID-19 and asked fans to send their prayers
‘She is in intensive care but really fighting like she always does, so i just need everyone to keep her in your prayers and hopefully she gets through this my strong little girl she doesn’t deserve any of this (sic).’
MailOnline has contacted Kelsey’s representatives for comment.
SMA is Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which is described by the NHS as a condition that makes the muscles grow weaker and causes problems with movement.
Kelsey also went on to share pictures of Kelsey over the years, which showed her using a ventilator to help her breathe during various outings.
Fears: Kelsey explained that because of her SMA Kelsey has a ‘weak immune system’ and it is ‘very dangerous’ for her to have COVID-19
Condition: SMA is Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which is described by the NHS as a condition that makes the muscles grow weaker and causes problems with movement
Reflecting: Kelsey went on to share pictures of Kelsey over the years, which showed her using a ventilator to help her breathe during various outings
Kelsey has already set up a GoFundMe page for her sister, as she asked fans to donate what they could to help Kelsey as she battles the disease.
Detailing the condition, Kelsey said of her sister’s SMA: ‘This affects her movement from the neck down, but not her intelligence or sense of humour.
‘We also sadly lost my brother Karter to this condition when he was just a baby.
‘It would mean so much if you could donate anything you can, every little helps and will help the charity to continue their vital work supporting individuals and families such as mine affected by SMA !’