Eight-year-old who survived severe burns raises £200,000 to pay for new hospital machine
ITV News Central reporter Ravneet Nandra met with Elizabeth Soffe who is inspiring others with her fundraising targets
An eight-year-old girl, who suffered severe burns during a cot fire when she was just six months old, will officially open a new hospital machine designed to help other children with scarring.
Elizabeth Soffe suffered 60% of full thickness burns to her body when an air conditioning unit malfunctioned and set fire to her cot.
She was burnt down to her skull, leaving her without hair and she also lost most of her fingers, one of her ears and a lot of her nose.
Ever since the accident, Elizabeth has had to endure regular skin grafts but earlier this year she raised over £200,000 to pay for a new machine at Birmingham Children's Hospital's specialist Burns Centre.
She set out to raise the £130,000 needed to pay for the Fractional CO2 Laser machine by running a mile every day for 26 days- including 73 laps of her garden during two episodes of isolation- to thank the hospital's doctors and nurses who saved her life.
She smashed her target and in just three months raised £202,751.
Elizabeths dad said, 'we're so proud of her to finally see this machine and not just this, but all the other parts of the hospital she's been able to help. It's just amazing. We're really proud of her.'
Elizabeth presented the money to the hospital's Burns Centre in November.
Fractionated delivery of CO2 laser treatment creates microscopic holes in the tissue of a scar.
This energy is thought to stimulate changes in the scar tissue allowing it to reduce in size, texture and colour, making it less visible.
It also softens the tissue leading to improved movement and reduced tightness around severe scars, thereby removing the need for invasive and painful scar release or skin graft surgery.
Clare Thomas, Lead Nurse- Burns Service
The remaining money fundraised by Elizabeth will be used to benefit other areas of the hospital.