A seven-year-old girl who suffered a stroke while he went down a park is confronted with 'a heavy way forward' after doctors tried 12 times to reach a blood clot on her brain and now had a third of her skull have to remove.
Charliee Sue Salisbury was in her local park with her father, Danny Salisbury, 43, and their dog, Nala, when he immediately noticed a change in his daughter's face on 9 February.
While he waited for her at the end of a tube slide, Danny saw his daughter rise and saw the left side of Charliee's face, before she collapsed when she tried to get up.
The young person – who has Down's syndrome – was rushed to the Watford General Hospital, Hertfordshire, where a CT scan revealed that Charliee had suffered a stroke caused by a large blood clot in her brain.
Chariee was then transferred to the Royal London Hospital with Danny and her mother, Hannah, 40, where she underwent an operation of five hours.
During the procedure, surgeons tried 12 times to remove the clot, but were not successful.
In the early hours of 10 February, another surgeon from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) removed one third of Charliee's skull when her brain had become 'dangerously swollen'.
She stayed under sedation for the next four days and is now awake, but has passed 'serious damage' on the right side of her brain after the repeated attempts to remove the clot.
Charliee Sue Salisbury, 7, from Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, is confronted with 'A Tough Road Aheat' after she had a stroke while she had a slide in her local park
The young person underwent an operation of five hours for a clot on her brain, but despite 12 attempts, doctors could not remove it
Another surgeon from Great Ormond Street Hospital (Gosh) removed a third of Charliee's skull when her brain had become 'dangerously swollen'
Charliee spent six days in the ICU before being transferred to a high dependency unit and then a shared department, where she has since stayed and receives daily physiotherapy.
At the moment Charliee cannot speak or move the left side of her body and is fed by a tube.
In the coming months, Charliee will need further operation to fit a metal plate on her skull, while doctors estimate that she needs for at least three months to recover in a rehabilitation center.
For her stroke, the young person had previously been in the hospital after undergoing open heart surgery. She is also deaf in one ear and has cataracts in both eyes.
Heartbroken father Danny, a delivery person from Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, said: 'As soon as I saw Charliee coming the slide, I knew something was wrong – she didn't have the same glow in her beautiful face.
“We were lightly lit to the hospital because we knew it was a race by time.
“When they confirmed that it was a stroke, we hoped that the damage was minimal.
'The hours of an operation that Chariene had were the longest of our lives, but we are grateful for the great efforts of the doctors.
The young person for her stroke, depicted with her mother, Hannah, and father, Danny
Chariee (depicted on a slide in previous times) is described by family and friends as a girl who finds 'pleasure in everything'
The young person is now awake and recovers in the hospital, but is unable to speak or move the left side of her body and is fed by a tube
Doctors estimate that she needs at least three months to recover in a rehabilitation center
'Because she came every day, we hope for a miracle.
“She recognizes her mother and I, but she can't say much – just mumbles.
“Chariee is a treasure – singing and dancing was her life.
'The night before her stroke she danced around the kitchen far beyond her bedtime.
“I would give everything to let her do the same at the moment.”
Danny and Hannah, a daycare center – who share five other children, 26, 23, 21, 20, 17 – remained in panic when Charliee's left side of her face 'suddenly' hangs' when he went off the slide.
“I knew immediately that something was wrong and when we arrived in the hospital, doctors confirmed my worst fear – that she had had a stroke caused by a blood clot,” said Danny.
He added: 'We did not leave her side and are so grateful for the generous support that Chariee has received.
A GoFundMe page has been set up for the young person's family, who has to adjust their home for Charliee if she recovers from her stroke
Doctors are still not clear about the reasons why Charliee had a stroke. Shown: the younger dancing in her house in Hertfordshire
'Medici's are still unable to advise what the stroke has caused and we do not know what its future will look like.
'I miss seeing our little girl dancing, she has that kind of infectious joy.
“If I wasn't there to notice the sudden change in her, I fear to think where we would be.”
A good family friend has set up a GoFundMe page to collect £ 10,000 to adjust their home and reduce their financial tension.
A statement on the GoFundMe page describes Charliee as 'a happy girl' that “will be a very heavy long way for recovery” as “a very heavy long way for the recovery.”
It adds: 'She finds pleasure in everything and loves nothing more than to sing, to go the slide in the park in our area near her house and spend time with her family and is absolutely fond of her Dog Nala.
'As a child with Down's syndrome, she has always confronted with challenges, and in two years old she had an open heart surgery to correct a condition that is not unusual in children of Down's syndrome.
“” Cheeky Charliee “, she became known to the nurses, bounced back and continued to thrive, entered the regular school and become known for its noisy personality and is loved and known in our community.
Chariee has previously confronted other medical problems, including undergoing open heart surgery, and is deaf in one ear
'In the past 12 months it was discovered that Charliee is deaf in one ear and has cataracts in both eyes.
“Nevertheless, she threw herself into life and found joy every day, making us laugh with her antics and loving personality, she touches the hearts of so many people.
'[Her] Family and God do not know what the future looks like, but know that it will be different and difficult for both Charliee and her family.
“The challenges that Chariee would already be confronted have just become much bigger.”
Danny added: 'Hannah and I cannot work at the moment and we have to have the ground floor renovated for Charliee because she cannot reach her bedroom upstairs.
“We have been blown away so far by the generosity and would be grateful for continuous support.”
Go to www.gofundme.com/f/supporting-charliee-salisbury to donate
