The toddler who could die if she cries

Updated on: 07 November,2009 07:45 AM IST |
Agencies |

Rare condition means Tianna McHugh's tears could trigger a fatal fit

Rare condition means Tianna McHugh's tears could trigger a fatal fit

Her parents Ceri Lewis and Andy McHugh face a tense daily battle to make sure she doesn't cry.

The two-year-old looks as if she has died when she has a terrifying Reflex Anoxic Seizure. Her skin turns white, her body stiffens, her heart stops beating and she stops breathing.

Other children with the condition react to pain, fear or fright, but Tianna has a form so extreme that simply crying can trigger a fit.

Tianna was diagnosed with the condition aged 18 months and has survived 10 seizures since. The most serious one lasted two hours.

Describing the first fit, mother Ceri (23) said, "She looked like she had died. She went a deathly grey, her lips and around her eyes were blue and her eyes rolled back in her head. I was hysterical."

Father Andy (30) said he had to resuscitate his daughter. "After five or six blows she took a massive breath and came around crying her eyes out," he added.

Tianna suffered her last seizure in July and her parents are hoping she will grow out of the condition.

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels