Five-year ordeal of girl who died after callous mum faked her terminal illness

Twisted Kelly Renee Turner convinced medics her girl Olivia Gant was ill because she liked the attention and the cash from kind supporters

- GAIL SHORTLAND

Anyone who heard about the struggles of Olivia Gant felt compelled to help the brave little girl. By the age of seven she had faced years of medical issues requiring her to have countless tests, take strong drugs and even have life-changing operations.

When her mum, Kelly Renee Turner, posted pictures of Olivia on social media, they often showed her in a hospital bed surrounded by her cuddly toys. Yet she still managed to give everyone a smile, despite having spent most of her childhood in hospital.

It all begun in 2012, when Turner took Olivia to a hospital where they lived in Colorado. She had recently moved from Texas with Olivia and her two sisters, but their dad had stayed there for work.

At the time, Olivia was two and suffering from severe constipation. Doctors treated her by removing the hardened stool from her colon and she was sent home.

Then, Turner told doctors that Olivia was finding it difficult to eat and struggling to digest her food properly. Her observation triggered a course of medical care that would dominate Olivia’s life.

Over the next five years, Olivia made over 1,000 hospital visits and had several surgical procedures. This included her small intestine being rerouted through her large intestine, which took in food from a bag on her stomach.

Despite no doctor witnessing it, Turner insisted that her daughter was having seizures and Olivia was put on strong medication that put a strain on her little body.