A couple who said a final farewell to their baby daughter as her life support machine was turned off told of her miracle recovery.
Francesca and Lee Moore-Williams, 41 and 44, cried as they held Bella’s hand and took one final photograph before her ventilator was switched off.
The couple even signed a Do Not Resuscitate form meaning no special measures would be taken to keep her alive.
But just 30 minutes after their heartbreaking goodbye the 18-month-old tot, who doctors had given up for dead, began kicking and screaming.
Bella’s has continued to recover and five months on she is well enough to celebrate Christmas with her family at home.
Dad-of-two Lee said: “I was holding her hand knowing there was going to be a little last breath.
“I could feel her hand dropping and it went down but then she started gripping my finger.
“She started moving on her own and then her machine started going off.
“The doctors then changed everything to try and keep her alive.”
Francesca added: “It’s just amazing. It’s like we have won the lottery.
“She made our family complete and it now i’s great to see how well she is doing.
“When she says ‘mama’ it melts my heart.”
Bella’s parents first became concerned about their daughter’s heath when she started losing clumps of hair in April.
Just three months later her condition took a turn for the worse during a family holiday in Gran Canaria.
She was rushed to hospital one day after returning to the UK and tests showed she was critically ill.
Bella was admitted to intensive care where an MRI scan showed abnormalities across both sides of her brain.
On July 21 Francesca and Lee said an emotional final goodbye to their daughter after taking prints of her hands and feet as a memento.
They also took a final picture together with their son Bobby, five, before the ventilator was switched off.
Francesca explained: “The whole family came in one by one to say their goodbyes.
“I just kept sitting there thinking ‘why us’. It was heart wrenching.
“I will never, ever forget that moment where I had to say goodbye to my daughter.”
Just 30 minutes later Bella’s oxygen levels recovered to 100 per cent and her parents were told she would survive.
She was later diagnosed with the genetic disorder Biotinidase deficiency, which is so rare it affects just one in every 60,000 births.
Sufferers of the condition do not produce enough biotin - a vitamin which is essential for healthy cell growth.
The deficiency can be fatal if left untreated but will now be managed safely with tablets.
Sales worker Francesca added: “From the day that we were told that she was going to survive - I haven’t cried since.
“I’m frozen with emotion because I cried so much through such a traumatic period that I have nothing more to give.
“It’s going to take me time to get over the ordeal - we were just sat there waiting for her to take her final breath.”
Bella, of Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, who turns two in January, is now learning to walk and talk and her hair is growing back.
Experts say she is around eight months behind other children her age but she is expected to catch up.
Francesca said: “She’s at nursery and to look at her you wouldn’t think she’s been through what she has.
“Her body was slowly shutting down but she’s obviously a strong little fighter.
“Bella loves Father Christmas so we can’t wait to have the Christmas we thought we’d never have six months ago.”
Husband Lee, who works in accounts for a building company, added: “Bobby is really excited and he can’t wait for Christmas with his sister.”
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