'Rhea's given her fingerprint art to Prince Harry!'

Rhea Lakhani, 19, from Croydon, was diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy at 10 weeks old. Her mum Purabi, 50, tells new about her artistic talent

- LUCY ROBINSON

Growing up, I never knew what I wanted to do in life, but there was one thing I was certain about - I wanted to be a mum. So when I found out I was pregnant aged 29, I felt so blessed. There and then I made a promise that I'd always be there for my child and that I'd always fight their corner.

Giving birth to Rhea was surreal but, despite the excitement, I suspected something was wrong when she was two days old. While in hospital, she would make strange arm and leg movements and no matter what I did to calm her, she'd constantly cry. I raised my concerns, but they were dismissed as "first-time mum nerves".

However, 10 weeks later, Rhea was back in hospital after suffering a series of seizures. It was then that she was diagnosed with severe cerebral palsy. It was petrifying.

Although no doctor gave me an exact life expectancy for my little girl, I knew that she had a life-limiting condition because she was accepted to be admitted to our local children's hospice.

As a result of her Rhea at month: condition, Rhea is blind, epileptic and prone to fracturing, meaning she requires 24-hour care. In February 2021, she nearly died three times in two weeks and suffered 90 seizures in one day. After being given rescue drugs to bring her out of the seizures, she ended up being treated at home for end of life care.