Wigan girl who was born weighing just one pound is helping the elderly

Ella-Jo Johnson was born on December 29, 2012, at Wigan Infirmary, 14 weeks premature.

She weighed just 1lb 1oz, and that weight included the tubes attached her, so doctors estimated her real weight to be as little as 1lb, making her the smallest baby to be born at Wigan Infirmary in the past 35 years.

After her arrival, Ella-Jo was transferred to the Royal Bolton Hospital for nine weeks before returning to Wigan.

In total she spent four months in hospital and needed specialised medical equipment as her tiny lungs kept collapsing.

Ella-Jo required oxygen until she was three-and-a-half-years old but as she approaches her eighth birthday, she is doing well and helping others.

Her kindess has seen her organise a fundraiser which has involved her making candles as a hobby which she sells.

Money raised has seen her put together a hamper which she donated to Norley Hall Care Home, while she asked the manager Ian Taylor to raffle the hamper off so funds could be raised to buy Christmas gifts for residents.

Her grandma Sandra Sheridan, who is a senior night carer at the care home, said: “Ella-Jo makes candles as a hobby which she sells. With the money she has raised from the sale Ella-jo bought items to put together a hamper which she donated to Norley Hall Care Home.

“Ella-Jo asked the manager Mr Ian Taylor to raffle the hamper off, with the money raised she would like each resident of the care home to recieve a gift for Christmas.

“We are all very proud of Ella-Jo including one of her head of group Teachers Mrs Gaskell.”

In a Facebook post Ella-Jo’s school, Orrell Lamberhead Green Primary School, also praised her fundraising as “wonderful”.

To this day, Ella-Jo and her mum Toni Johnson continue to raise funds for people in the community and have in the past raised money for the neonatal unit at Wigan who cared for her.

They have purchased breast pumps for Wigan mothers, raised funds for a defibrillator for a junior football team, raised money for cancer sufferers, and raised funds to assist with funeral costs.

While they have also fundraised for the charity who provided equipment which kept Ella-Jo alive.

That charity is called MedEquip4Kids and it saw Toni spend the day in her workplace at Asda Distribution Centre for free just days before she was due to return from her maternity leave.

For more information on the charity visit https://www.medequip4kids.org.uk/

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