A LOCAL mum is appealing for the Pembrokeshire public’s help to bring her much loved young daughter home.

Dawn Jay has set up a gofundme appeal to bring five year-old Alice back to the family home in Thornton, Near Milford Haven, following serious illness.

Alice was in the care system before Dawn welcomed her into her home under a special guardianship order.

The family - including Alice’s younger brother - were on holiday in April when wheelchair user Alice’s existing health conditions took a serious turn for the worse.

Alice has now been diagnosed with end stage kidney renal failure.

Dawn said: “We decided to take a much deserved family holiday not knowing our lives were about to be torn apart. As we awoke on the 11th of April Alice was un-responsive and very poorly so poorly we called 999 and we were rushed to the hospital as she was critical and she was placed on life support.

“Sitting at the bedside of my little girl being told to prepare for the worse as she may not make it through the night. This is the hardest thing as a mum to hear. I was terrified and as she slowly made a recovery I was then told that Alice was in end stage kidney renal failure. It felt like someone had just ripped my heart out.

“I was by her bedside day and night for weeks not knowing what the future will hold. It was life changing and devastating news, we had tried so hard to help Alice and now it had come to this.

“We are not going to give up on Alice as she is our life and we all love her so much, spending weeks in hospital, operations, test after tests our little Alice is strong, well as strong as can be  she is always smiling.”

Unfortunately Alice is currently stuck in hospital more than 100 miles away to have vital dialysis three times a week.

An operation has been carried out to allow Alice to have dialysis at home - but the family need adaptations to be carried out to the home first.

Alice is set to be moved into temporary foster care but the family want her back with them as soon as possible.

They are concerned Alice would once again return to the care system long term.

The gofundme aims to raise £36,000 to carry out the work necessary to ensure Alice can come home.

Dawn said: “After months of meetings and fighting and pleading it has left us with no other option but see if can raise some of the money required through 'gofundme' as it is the only avenue that we have left.

“We have never asked for financial help for these children since being in our care but when we do ask out of despair  the authorities just shut the door in our faces.

“We have planning permission and some funds ready for the building works to start we just need help so that we can get the adaptational  and clinical works done for Alice.  “Without any help Alice will remain in the ‘care system’ yet again,  I do not think we could take this.

“We do not know if this appeal is going to work but times are heartbreaking and critical so we feel that we have no other option to try to get Alice home were she belongs.

We also feel there are good people out there in the world just like us that are willing to help Alice and save our family.

“It feels really odd telling our story and our personal life to the social media, family, friends, neighbours and strangers but when in a desperate situation you will do anything.

“We hope one day these children, especially Alice, can have some sort of quality of life they deserve, they are children at the end of the day and they need and deserve things that other children do and we want to be able to do this.

“Please help us to help Alice home to her little brother who misses her so much.”